An app development company is set to release its first piece of stargazing hardware designed for use with iPhones.
Rubery-based iCandi Apps, which created the 'Night Sky' stargazing apps, has designed Night Sky MiniScope which will attach to smart devices to deliver 50X optical zoom through lenses and work directly with its apps.
Company director and founder Andy Weekes said: "We're so excited to announce Night Sky MiniScope, our first piece of stargazing hardware that will work directly with the Night Sky apps.
"We're hoping it will allow anyone, anywhere, to capture beautiful images of the real night sky."
Night Sky MiniScope is made from lightweight brushed aluminium and can fit in a bag and is set to launch this summer.
It will initially be sold through the iCandi Apps website and its stargazing apps.
Mr Weekes was previously a schoolteacher taking music classes for 11 to 18 year olds but decided to turn his hand to website development and computer programming.
He founded the company in 2008 after being inspired by the introductory keynote speech on the App Store given by Steve Jobs.
In 2011, the original Night Ski app was released on the App Store after Mr Weekes had scoured the market for stargazing apps and found existing ones to be convoluted and more confusing than enjoyable.
The firm's accolades include a feature in Apple's 'Best of 2012' and having Night Sky 2 pre-installed onto iPads in Apple retail stores worldwide.
