What is this star? Discover the first ever augmented reality binoculars

How well do you know the night sky? If you’re having trouble telling one star from another, a new pair of augmented reality binoculars might help.

Aimed at astronomy enthusiasts eager to explore the night sky, the recently announced Envision binoculars from Unistellar and Nikon use augmented reality to overlay data on what exactly is in their field of view. As an added bonus, they also promise to make it easier to share your findings with others.

One step forward

This is an interesting advance for binoculars, which remain the best way for astronomers to move away from naked-eye observation. The technology inside Envision, which is now on Kickstarter, comes from Unistellar’s eVscope and Oddessey smart telescopes, which automatically align themselves by resolving images of the night sky.

The Envision are essentially good quality 10×50 Porro binoculars, meaning they have 10x magnification and a 50mm aperture, the perfect size to let in enough light at night without being too heavy to hold still.

In addition to the night sky, Envision can also tell you about land targets, with around a million hills, mountains and peaks in its database, as well as trails, shelters, water sources and caves. Its battery lasts around five hours.

Background information

The augmented reality technology overlays contextual information directly onto the six-degree field of view – much like how Google Glass smart glasses work – with a catalog of 1,000 objects and 200,000 stars. Envision also integrates with a smartphone via a dedicated app, providing instant access to a database of maps and information. Four modes are offered:

• Intelligent recognition mode: A 3D map overlay displays information about celestial objects in the field of view.
• Guided navigation mode: The app suggests stars, comets and other celestial objects to explore.
• Shareable Target Lock Mode: Find a celestial object and pass the binoculars to your friends. The binoculars will then guide them to the same target.
• Classic optical mode: a tech-free experience with the augmented reality overlay turned off.

Ddiscover and get involved

“We are excited to unveil the Envision smart binoculars, demonstrating our commitment to innovation in exploration,” said Laurent Marfisi, co-founder and CEO of Unistellar, in a press release. “From amateur astronomers to outdoor adventurers, Envision will enable these users to discover and interact with their surroundings in ways previously unimaginable. »

Unistellar’s original eVscope smart telescopes raised $2.2 million on Kickstarter in 2017. Nikon has been an investor since 2023 and manufactures the eyepiece for Unistellar’s eVscope 2 and Odyssey Pro smart telescopes.

I wish you clear skies and wide eyes.

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