DWARF mini Smart Telescope — Pocket the Universe

The DWARF mini brings automated astronomy and astrophotography into an exceptionally compact package. Weighing just 840 g, it combines GoTo target finding, automatic tracking, astrophotography, image stacking and app control in a smart telescope small enough to take almost anywhere.

Whether you're taking your first steps into astronomy, looking for a genuinely portable travel telescope, or want a compact companion to a larger imaging setup, DWARF mini makes it remarkably easy to get outside and start exploring the night sky.

Choose a target in the DWARFLAB app and let DWARF mini handle much of the setup for you — from focusing and calibration to locating and tracking your target.

Small Telescope. Serious Astronomy.

DWARF mini has been designed around portability without losing the features that make modern smart telescopes so enjoyable to use.

• Ultra-light 840 g design
• 30 mm telephoto aperture
• Sony IMX662 telephoto sensor
• Automatic GoTo target locating
• Automatic focusing and calibration
• Precision astronomical tracking
• Equatorial Mode
• Up to 90-second individual exposures in EQ Mode
• Built-in Astro, Dark and Duo-Band filters
• 64 GB internal storage
• 7000 mAh built-in battery
• Smartphone and tablet control

There is no traditional eyepiece and no complicated manual star alignment. Your mobile device becomes the control centre for finding targets, capturing images and processing your results.

Explore the Night Sky in Minutes

Traditional astrophotography can involve a telescope, mount, camera, computer, cables, guiding equipment and a considerable amount of setup. DWARF mini takes a very different approach.

Its integrated hardware and software work together to automate many of the jobs normally required before imaging can begin.

• Power on the telescope
• Connect using the DWARFLAB app
• Complete the automated setup
• Choose an object
• Let DWARF mini locate and track it
• Start capturing and stacking images

This makes DWARF mini particularly attractive to beginners, but its portability and EQ imaging capabilities also make it a useful grab-and-go telescope for experienced astronomers.

Sony IMX662 Sensor for Deep-Sky Imaging

At the heart of the telephoto imaging system is the Sony IMX662, a highly regarded 1/2.8-inch sensor with 2.9 μm pixels.

The IMX662 is well suited to low-light imaging, helping DWARF mini capture astronomical targets including bright nebulae, galaxies and star clusters.

The telephoto optical system combines a 30 mm aperture with a 150 mm focal length, providing the magnification needed for astronomical imaging while keeping the complete telescope extremely compact.

Equatorial Mode with Exposures up to 90 Seconds

For deeper astrophotography, DWARF mini supports Equatorial Mode.

Correctly configured in EQ Mode, the telescope can compensate for the apparent rotation of the night sky and support individual exposures of up to 90 seconds.

Longer exposures allow the camera to collect more light from faint astronomical targets. Multiple exposures can then be stacked to progressively improve the final image.

This gives DWARF mini capabilities that would once have required a considerably larger telescope, equatorial mount and separate astronomy camera.

Built-In Duo-Band Filter

DWARF mini includes integrated Astro, Dark and Duo-Band filters within its telephoto imaging system.

The Duo-Band filter is particularly useful when imaging suitable emission nebulae. By concentrating on important emission wavelengths, it can help improve contrast when compared with unfiltered broadband imaging, particularly from locations affected by artificial light pollution.

There is no external filter wheel to install, keeping the complete system compact and easy to use.

Designed for Grab-and-Go Astronomy

One of the biggest advantages of DWARF mini is simply how easy it is to take with you.

At approximately 840 g, it can fit into a backpack or camera bag without the weight and bulk associated with a conventional telescope and mount.

That makes it ideal for:

• Garden astronomy
• Balcony and rooftop observing
• Dark-sky trips
• Camping
• Caravan and motorhome trips
• Holidays
• Air travel where baggage space matters
• Quick sessions when the clouds unexpectedly clear

Instead of deciding whether setting up a large telescope is worth the effort, you can simply take DWARF mini outside and start observing.

7000 mAh Built-In Battery

A built-in 7000 mAh battery provides approximately four hours of operation under typical conditions.

For longer sessions, DWARF mini can also be powered from a suitable external USB power source, making it practical for extended nights away from mains electricity.

360° Movement and Flexible Target Tracking

DWARF mini combines 360° base rotation with up to 225° lens rotation, allowing the integrated mount to locate and follow objects across a wide area of sky.

Because the telescope, camera and tracking system are integrated into one compact unit, there is no separate astronomical mount to carry and assemble.

More Than a Night-Time Telescope

DWARF mini isn't limited to deep-sky astrophotography.

Its imaging system can also be used for a variety of daytime and wide-field subjects, including:

• The Moon
• Milky Way imaging
• Star trails
• Landscapes
• Wildlife
• Distant terrestrial subjects
• Time-lapse sequences

Solar observing and imaging is also possible when the telescope is used with the correct approved solar filter. Never point any telescope or camera directly at the Sun without the appropriate solar protection.

What Can You Photograph with DWARF mini?

DWARF mini can automatically locate and track a wide range of catalogue objects. Depending on your location, observing conditions and time of year, suitable targets can include:

• M42 — Orion Nebula
• M31 — Andromeda Galaxy
• M45 — Pleiades
• M8 — Lagoon Nebula
• Open star clusters
• Globular clusters
• Bright galaxies
• Emission nebulae
• The Moon
• Wide-field Milky Way regions

Results will naturally depend on sky darkness, atmospheric conditions, target altitude and the amount of integration time used.

Control Everything from the DWARFLAB App

DWARF mini is controlled through the DWARFLAB mobile app using a compatible smartphone or tablet.

The app brings the major telescope functions together in one place, including:

• Connection and setup
• Target selection
• GoTo control
• Focusing
• Tracking
• Camera settings
• Image capture
• Image stacking
• Image processing

This integrated approach removes much of the learning curve associated with assembling and operating a traditional astrophotography system.

Stellar Studio — Process Your Images More Easily

Capturing the data is only part of astrophotography. Processing traditionally requires transferring files to a computer and learning specialist software.

DWARFLAB's Stellar Studio tools provide a more accessible workflow for processing and enhancing your astronomical images.

It means you can go from choosing a target to producing a finished image using a much more streamlined system than a conventional astrophotography rig.

DWARF mini vs DWARF 3 — Which Should You Choose?

The DWARF mini and DWARF 3 are designed for slightly different priorities.

DWARF mini focuses heavily on portability, simplicity and value, while DWARF 3 provides more advanced imaging hardware for users who want greater resolution and a larger aperture.

Choose DWARF mini if:

• You want the smallest and lightest option
• You regularly travel with your telescope
• You want an affordable introduction to smart-telescope astrophotography
• You value quick setup and portability above maximum resolution

Choose DWARF 3 if:

• You want higher telephoto resolution
• You want the larger 35 mm aperture
• You want greater internal storage
• Maximum imaging performance is more important than minimum weight

Neither telescope makes the other redundant. They simply address different priorities within the DWARFLAB range.

DWARF mini Key Specifications

What's in the Box?

The exact supplied accessories can vary according to the package selected. Please check the product options shown on this page for the precise configuration supplied by Dark Clear Skies UK.

Who Is the DWARF mini For?

DWARF mini is particularly well suited to anyone looking for:

• A first smart telescope
• An easy introduction to astrophotography
• A compact travel telescope
• A grab-and-go second telescope
• A telescope requiring minimal setup
• Deep-sky imaging without building a conventional astrophotography rig

Its combination of portability and automation makes it especially appealing if a conventional telescope has previously seemed too large, complicated or time-consuming.

DWARF mini FAQs

Why Buy Your DWARF mini from Dark Clear Skies?

Buy your DWARF mini smart telescope in the UK from Dark Clear Skies and receive specialist astronomy support from a UK astronomy retailer.

• UK-based astronomy retailer
• Specialist smart-telescope knowledge
• UK warranty support
• Tracked UK delivery
• Friendly help before and after your purchase

DWARF mini makes astronomy easier to take with you. From a quick session in the garden to a dark-sky trip hundreds of miles from home, this remarkably compact smart telescope puts automated GoTo astronomy and astrophotography into a package weighing less than a kilogram.