Dwarflab launches Draco, a portable smart telescope built for serious astrophotography

Dwarflab has announced the Draco, a new smart telescope that integrates a 90mm aperture and automated tracking into a 5.5 kg (12.1 lbs) unit. The device is designed to simplify deep-sky astrophotography by automating the alignment and capture process, while still offering the hardware necessary for long exposures.

Dwarflab Draco Specifications

The Draco can capture single-frame exposures lasting up to 300 seconds. Standard alt-azimuth telescope mounts often suffer from field rotation during long exposures, which can make stars appear blurred as the sky moves.

To solve this, the Draco physically rotates its CMOS image sensor to keep up with the movement of the sky. Its built-in guide scope monitors tracking and corrects errors in real time. The metal base can also be tilted to switch the telescope into equatorial mode, so there is no need for a separate mounting system.

Optically, the telescope features a folded f/3.8 design with a 340mm focal length. The primary telephoto camera uses a 1/1.3-inch, 50-megapixel sensor. When shooting dim deep-sky targets like galaxies, the system applies 2×2 pixel binning to output 12-megapixel images. This increases the effective pixel size to 2.4µm, which improves light collection and reduces noise.

For brighter targets within the solar system, the Draco uses the sensor’s full 50-megapixel resolution to capture finer details. The telescope also includes a secondary wide-angle camera with a 23.3mm equivalent focal length for capturing wider landscapes and Milky Way shots.

Dwarflab offers the Draco in two configurations. The Standard Edition costs $1,399 and comes with a built-in H+O dual-narrowband filter for capturing emission nebulae, along with an internal ND filter for solar imaging. The app automatically switches to the ND filter when you want to observe the Sun.

If you want more complex narrowband data, the SHO Edition is available for $1,599. This model replaces the internal ND filter with an S+O filter. The system can automatically sequence the two internal filters to capture Sulfur, Hydrogen, and Oxygen data, which the app then combines into standard blue-and-gold SHO images. Solar imaging on the SHO model requires manually attaching an included external ND filter.

The companion app handles key smart telescope functions such as autofocus, plate solving, and live stacking with automatic dark-frame calibration. Pro Mode gives you manual control over exposure and gain, while support for FITS and TIFF exports lets you process raw data using external editing software.

The hardware is powered by a 10,000 mAh battery that provides up to five hours of runtime. It also features active sensor cooling to mitigate thermal noise during long sessions. Pre-orders are currently open on Dwarflab’s website, with shipping estimated in three months.

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(Dwarflab)