Key takeaways:
- Allows iPhones to easily connect to a telescope eyepiece for astrophotography
- MagSafe mount provides secure, adjustable connection without obstructing screen
- Affordable $129 solution for existing iPhone and telescope owners
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American company Turing has announced the world’s first telescope adapter that utilizes Apple’s MagSafe technology to enable astrophotography with an iPhone. The Telescope Adapter for MagSafe promises an easy way to perfectly align an iPhone’s camera with a telescope eyepiece for capturing photos of celestial objects.
The innovative adapter uses the magnetic MagSafe connection to securely mount an iPhone to most telescopes with eyepieces ranging from 31-55mm diameter. Two adjustment dials allow users to precisely center their iPhone camera with the telescope’s optics, leaving the entire screen unobstructed for accessing camera controls.
At just $129 (currently $116 pre-order), the adapter provides an affordable astrophotography solution for owners of recent iPhone models and a telescope. While dedicated astronomical cameras cost thousands, Turing claims their adapter offers up to 5x better sharpness and 25x better low-light sensitivity compared to just using an iPhone alone.[1]
The compact, portable design could appeal to urban astronomers or anyone wanting to easily share views of the night sky. Turing is accepting pre-orders now, with limited quantities shipping in April 2024 – just in time for the upcoming total solar eclipse crossing North America on April 8th.[2]
As smartphone cameras continue improving, products like this MagSafe adapter could help make astrophotography more accessible than ever before for casual users, while serious amateurs will still require dedicated equipment.[1][13]
Citations:
[1] https://petapixel.com/2024/03/06/magsafe-telescope-adapter-turns-iphone-into-accessible-astro-camera/
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9Hb2508P-0&t=4
[3] https://www.mono-live.com/2015/07/?m=1
[4] https://clubsnap.com/threads/magsafe-telescope-adapter-turns-iphone-into-accessible-astro-camera.1836330/
[5] https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/912729-new-product-turing-digiscoping-adapter-for-magsafe/
[6] https://petapixel.com/2021/09/21/vaonis-launches-the-1050mm-61mp-hyperia-telescope-camera/
[7] https://turingergo.com
[8] https://www.reddit.com/r/telescopes/comments/17qd37k/i_designed_a_phone_adapter_that_always_keeps_the/
[9] https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/252643-great-60-case-for-cpc-1100/page-7
[10] https://turingergo.com/products/digiscoping-adapter-for-magsafe
[11] https://archive.org/download/Micro-Mart/MicroMart-2015-04-23.pdf
[12] https://thedailyposting.com/magsafe-telescope-adapter-turns-your-iphone-into-an-accessible-astronomical-camera/
[13] https://aliquote.org/micro/
[14] https://twitter.com/petapixel/status/1765499943077220568
[15] https://www.neurospine.or.kr/bbs/link.html?code=schedule&number=142&url=http%3A%2F%2F526377416nov22.%D1%84%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%82-%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BB%D1%8C.%D1%80%D1%84
[16] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCWUrloz6MM
[17] https://www.notebookcheck.com/Redaktion.113895.0.html?tx_nbc2journalist_pi1%5Bmode%5D=show
[18] https://petapixel.com/2023/07/18/vaonis-hestia-is-the-first-smartphone-telescope-for-astrophotography/
