The first Vaonis smart telescope dates back to 2018 when Stellina was introduced. Later came Vespera—Latin for "evening"—which was branded as "the first ultra portable smart telescope." Further development led to the release of Vespera II with the promise of delivering "ultra high definition images." Optimized for astrophotography, the top-of-the-line offering in the series is Vespera Pro.
The Vaonis Vespera II and Vespera Pro are refractors with an "apochromatic quadruplet lens design with extra low dispersion S-FPL52 equivalent (ULD) lanthanum glass," a 50 mm aperture, a 250 mm Focal Length, a Focal Ratio of f/5 and a "refined field corrector." An eyepiece is noticeably absent, which is typical for smart telescopes, so the "Singularity by Vaonis" app allows your smartphone or tablet to function as your visual gateway to the cosmos and the telescope control center.
A technological advancement called CovalENS captures a wider field of view than its native capability. This exclusive feature, also known as mosaic or panorama mode, is said to eliminate field rotation as it enhances the image and allows you to customize image framing.
Automatic functions include plate solving for accurate tracking, live stacking where bad images are rejected, live auto-focus during observation, and auto-dithering during panorama mode that cancels hot pixels and reduces pattern noise. Also, schedule fully autonomous observations and avoid those late-night sessions.
Other features include manual adjustment of exposure time and sensor gain, the ability to save individual sub images for manual processing and capture dark frames for calibration.
From there, the two models diverge slightly...
Vespera II
The image sensor is a Sony IMX585 (color), which is 8.3 megapixels, 3840 x 2160. CovalENS transforms 8.3 into 24 megapixels and the 2.5° x 1.4° field of view increases to 4.33° x 2.43° or 3.25° x 3.25° with a 2.39 arcsecond resolving power.
Vespera Pro
Its sensor is a Sony IMX676 (color), 12.5 megapixels, 3536 x 3536. But, again, CovalENS up converts 12.5 to 50 megapixels, 1.6° x 1.6° field of view enlarges to 4.18° x 2.45° or 3.2° x 3.2° with a resolving power of 1.6 arcseconds.
The Vespera II has 25 GB of internal storage and the Vespera Pro has 225 GB. The display format is JPEG 8 bits, the unit images format is FITS 16 bits and the pre-stacked images format is TIFF 16 bits.
They operate over a wide temperature range—down to 32°F—resist rain and snow, and are UV and impact resistant. Both have an alt-azimuth mount that uses metal gears for durability and precision.
Battery life for the Vespera II is 4 hours and 11 hours for the Vespera Pro. An external power bank can be connected for extended operation.
All accessories, such as dual-band, light pollution and solar filters, are optional. The Vespera Pro includes a pre-installed hygrometer for temperature and dew control, tripod with bubble level, tailored flycase and dust lens cap. The hygrometer and tripod are options for the Vespera II. They are 18.9 in. x 7.9 in. x 3.5 in. (527 cu. in.) and weigh 11 lbs. Specifications are detailed below.
To learn more about the Vaonis Vespera II and Vespera Pro and for upated information, visit the Vaonis website.
Image Credit: Vaonis
Image Credit: Vaonis
Product Overviews, which are based solely on manufacturer-supplied data, have been reviewed by the manufacturers, provide significantly more detail than Product Reviews and do not include personal opinion.