Full-Frame + TEC Cooling
Full-frame imaging with TEC cooling (ΔT -30°C / -54°F) for cleaner long exposures.
ArcBlue C42
Create Astrophotography Masterpieces.
No PhD Required.
Full-Frame
SENSOR
Infinite
SCOPE
Smart Polar Align
SETUP
Our First NAB Appearance
Meet ArcBlue at NAB Show 2026.
We're excited to make our debut in Las Vegas! Meet the ArcBlue team at booth C4949 to experience our innovative smart imaging solutions and discover how we can revolutionize your low-light capture capabilities.
* Claim your free pass (a $219 value) using the code above on the official NAB Show website.
Date
April 19-22, 2026
Venue
Las Vegas
Convention Center
Booth
C4949
GWI™
Guide and image on one sensor. No guide scope. No calibration.
One-Click Mosaic
Auto-stitch the Milky Way. Gigapixel scale.
Untethered Control
Wireless control from your warm tent.
Live Stacking
Calibration, alignment, stacking, and output. Built in.
Lifetime Gear
Grow from beginner to master.
Lucy Yunxi Hu
Astrophotographer & Research Fellow
5x NASA APOD FEATURED"The perfect balance of portability and power. The C42 is exactly the upgrade the serious astrophotography community has been waiting for."
Chapter 01: The Paradigm Shift
EXTREME PRECISION & GWI™
Patented GWI™ (Guide While Integrate) and robotic stability. Long-exposure precision without a separate guide scope.
The Long Exposure Equation. Stunning astrophotography requires long exposures. But as the Earth rotates, these long exposures quickly turn point-like stars into blurry trails. To capture sharp, faint details, you need two things: a motorized mount to track the sky, and a guiding system to continuously watch the stars and correct microscopic mechanical errors in real-time.
Guide While You Integrate. On the Same Sensor.
GWI™ (Guide While Integrate)
ArcBlue GWI™ runs imaging and guiding simultaneously in the same optical path, with no separate guide scope required.
Lighter Setup
Drop the separate guide scope, mounting rings, and extra USB cables.
Faster Workflow
No guide-scope calibration workflow. Slew to your target, and guiding begins.
Tighter Stars
Sharing one optical path removes differential flexure from the guiding chain, a major cause of trailing in traditional setups.
One sensor. One optical path. Less gear between you and a long exposure.
GWI_TECH
10-Minute Exposure. Zero Trails.
Robotic Stability
Powered by Strain Wave Gear (Harmonic Drive) technology—the same tech found in surgical robots and Tesla's Optimus.
This ensures pin-point stars even during 10-minute exposures.
Backlash: <1 arcsec. Repeatability: ±1 arcsec.
Traditional: Wrestling with Mechanics
C42: Guided, Precise, Hands-On
SMART_POLAR_ALIGN
Chapter 02: The Brain
COMPUTATIONAL ENGINE
Smart alignment, intelligent GoTo, built-in processing, and OTA evolution. Advanced imaging without operational overhead.
SMART_POLAR_ALIGN
Tri-Axial Mount for Faster Alignment
Smart Polar Alignment
The night is for capturing light, not wrestling with mechanics.
You do not need to know where Polaris is. Just set the latitude, point the C42 roughly north, and you are most of the way there.
Then the system tells you exactly how far off you are and how to turn the knobs, smoothing out the learning curve while keeping the hands-on feel of polar alignment.
Tap, Slew, Capture.
Smart GoTo
Don't know where the Rosette Nebula is? You don't have to.
Whether you are using the ArcBlue app or the magnetic screen, simply browse the interactive sky atlas and tap your target.
The C42 will automatically slew to the object, center your framing, and begin tracking immediately. Navigating the cosmos is now as easy as using GPS.
Step 01
Pick a target
Step 02
Automatic slew
Step 03
Tracking begins
Built-in HDR RAW Fusion
From the 2024 U.S. Total Solar Eclipse
Tired of pushing hundreds of gigabytes through post-processing? Our built-in hardware HDR fusion engine merges bracketed RAW bursts into a floating-point DNG.
A single 29 EV intra-scene HDR image simultaneously reveals a grazing comet, star field, corona, solar prominences, and the chromosphere.
HDR_TIME_LAPSE
Gigapixel Mosaics. One Click.
Master-Level Workflow
A true mosaic used to mean planning every panel by hand, managing overlap yourself, and manually steering the mount through a slow, unforgiving process.
With Master-Level Workflow, C42 does that for you. It can map the mosaic, drive the mount precisely between frames, and keep each panel ready for clean stacking and stitching. And mosaics are just one example. Master-Level Workflow includes many automated workflows that can execute preset operations for you, so ordinary users can create ambitious shots without the usual hassle.
MOSAIC_AUTO
The Pipeline. Built in.
We replaced the fragmented desktop software chain with real-time, hardware-level processing. Save hours and get a linear master ready for immediate creative editing.
Traditional Desktop Workflow
Step 01
Calibration
Bias Dark Flat
Step 02
Alignment
Star Registration
Step 03
Stacking
Integration
Output
Linear Master
Ready File
User
Post-Process
Non-Linear Edit
ArcBlue Workflow
Hardware ISP
One-Step Automation
Instant Output
Linear Master
User
Post-Process
Non-Linear Edit
Traditional
Step 01
Calibration
Bias Dark Flat
Step 02
Alignment
Registration
Step 03
Stacking
Integration
Output
Linear Master
Ready File
User
Post-Process
Non-Linear
ArcBlue Flow
Hardware ISP
Built-in Engine
Calibrate
Align
Stack
Align
Stack
Instant Output
Linear Master
User
Post-Process
Hardware-Accelerated Astrophotography ISP
Sensor-Level Calibration
Traditional image signal processors are built for consumer photography, often suppressing faint astronomical detail along with noise.
Our pioneering astrophotography ISP supports bias, dark, and flat-frame calibration at up to 1 gigapixel per second. Custom-designed accelerator hardware enables live calibration during full-rate CMOS sensor readout.
ASTRO_ISP
OTA Enabled.
Forget planned obsolescence. Your device receives powerful new features and system-level enhancements seamlessly over the air.
3 Years
Feature Updates
New workflows, core algorithms, and expanded capabilities delivered directly to your device.
5 Years
Reliability Fixes
Long-term compatibility and stability patches to protect your investment for years to come.
Chapter 03: The Foundation
OPTICAL CORE
Full-Frame sensor, active cooling, and universal compatibility. From 14 mm landscapes to 2000 mm deep space.
Size Is Truth.
The Full-Frame Heart
At the core of this revolution lies a cinematic Full-Frame sensor (24MP).
Unlike crop-sensor toys, it drinks in light like a black hole, pulling in cleaner signal, wider dynamic range, and the kind of image depth small sensors simply cannot touch.
SENSOR_01
Sensor Type Full-Frame CMOS
Effective Pixels 24.0 MP
Welcome to the
Deep Freeze.
TEC Cooling
Drag the slider to see how TEC cooling suppresses thermal noise. As a general rule, dark current halves with every 6°C (10.8°F) drop in sensor temperature.
Unlike standard DSLRs, TEC cooling locks the sensor at a precise temperature, delivering a cooling delta (ΔT) of over 30°C (54°F). That stability enables repeatable dark frames for precision deep-sky calibration.
Sensor Temp
+20.0°C
Status
UNCOOLED
AMBIENT (20°C / 68°F) TEC LOCK (-10°C / 14°F)
EXP: 300s GAIN: 100
NOISE SENSOR T.
From 14 mm to 2000 mm.
The Universal Shift
Shatter the boundaries between "Landscape" and "Deep Space." Typically, shooting deep space requires a heavy equatorial mount, while landscapes need a portable camera. The C42 system handles both. Its native Sony E-mount also supports Canon RF/EF and Nikon Z lenses via adapter. Whether it's a wide-angle Milky Way shot or a deep-dive into a nebula, simply swap the lens to swap your universe.
Note: The Landscape and Widefield images are for illustrative purposes only to demonstrate focal length compatibility. They are not actual C42 sample photos .
Wide Angle
Capture the Milky Way arch merging seamlessly with the terrain.
Recommended Focal Length
14 mm - 35 mm
Universal
Adaptability.
Lens Mounts
Built around a native Sony E-mount. Supports classic adapted lenses including Canon EF and Nikon F, plus telescope systems via adapter.
The C42 accommodates any third-party mount with a flange focal distance exceeding 18 mm.
Sony E-Mount
Native System
Canon EF
Via Adapter
Nikon F
Via Adapter
Telescope
Via Adapter
Chapter 04: The Freedom
UNBOUND EXPERIENCE
Minimal setup, untethered control, and all-in-one portability—even from inside your tent.
Detach. Retreat. Untethered Control.
Untethered Control
Detach the magnetic screen and monitor your session wirelessly from inside your tent.
Watch the live capture in comfort instead of standing in the cold night wind.
If something goes wrong during the shoot, the screen alerts you immediately so you can respond before the session is lost.
WIRELESS_CTRL
Less Gear. More Sky.
All-In-One Portability
No bulky power brick. No separate guide scope. No laptop required.
Deep-space imaging now travels as easily as your water bottle.
PORTABLE_SYS
SSD_STORAGE
Built-in SSD Storage
High-Speed On-Device Storage
Ultra-fast, high-capacity storage supports long and demanding capture sessions.
One Core. Endless Scenarios.
From standalone camera to fully automated observatory.
More to Come.
The Complete Ecosystem
ArcBlue is growing beyond the core device with a richer lineup of add-ons and collaborations.
We are preparing surprises including a NASA co-branded hard case, selected lens collaborations, and field essentials such as tripods and battery counterweights.
The full list is still under wraps for now. If there is an accessory or collaboration you want to see, tell us.
ECOSYSTEM
Coming Soon on Kickstarter
Be the first in line for early bird offers
ORIGIN STORY
We are Stargazers Before We are Makers.
Like you, we are the ones who have shivered in the dark, looking up.
Before building the C42, our team spent years developing custom, highly automated astronomical equipment for scientific-grade research and professional observatories.
The ArcBlue C42 is the offspring of this philosophy: a professional-grade astrophotography system that is exceptionally easy to use, yet perfectly retains the pure joy of the process.
Co-Founder
Chen Song
[ASTEROID #807098]
Song embodies the perfect balance of an amateur astronomer's passion and a serial entrepreneur's vision. In 2016, he and Dr. Shen co-developed a massive 508 mm (20-inch) F3.8 survey telescope, which powered the discovery of 8 named asteroids and the first NEO found by Chinese amateurs.
"Every 5.5 years, the asteroid named after me meets the Earth."
Co-Founder
Dr. Shen Feichen
[HARDWARE HACKER]
Dr. Shen's R&D history is a timeline of hardcore tinkering, from organizing astronomy events during the 2009 Solar Eclipse to becoming a founding member of the Nikon Hacker community in the US. He is the mastermind behind our core technology: GWI™ (Guide While Integrate), also known as On-Sensor Guiding.
"Testing sensors in a fridge really brings back that garage startup vibe."
SPECIFICATION
Technical Data
REV. 2.0 01 SENSOR_TYPE
Sony IMX410
02 EFFECTIVE_PIXELS
24.0 Megapixels
03 THERMAL_REG
TEC Cooling (ΔT -30°C / -54°F)
04 ONBOARD_STORAGE
User Selectable (Up to 1TB)
05 MOUNT_SYSTEM
Native Sony E-Mount (adapts Canon EF, Nikon F, telescope systems, and other mounts with FFD > 18 mm)
06 POWER_CYCLE
5h Tracking + Imaging
07 DATA_INTERFACE
WiFi / Gigabit Ethernet / USB-C / Bluetooth / USB 2.0
08 WEIGHT_MASS
0.8 kg (1.76 lb) Camera / 2.2 kg (4.85 lb) Gimbal
VIEW: ISOMETRIC ● LIVE
Dimensions
105 × 90 × 75 mm / 4.13 × 3.54 × 2.95 in