Περιγραφή
The Vaonis Vespera II is one of the most budget-friendly smart telescopes, ideal for beginners — we think it’s one of the best smart telescopes ever released.
The Vaonis Vespera II is the latest smart telescope from Vaonis and replaces the original Vaonis Vespera which we gave four out of five stars. While this latest model looks almost identical to the last, lots has changed inside.
The raw concept behind the Vespera II is pretty simple. Automating everything, it gives anyone, regardless of astronomy knowledge or skill, the ability to navigate, observe and image the night sky with the press of a button on a smart device.
There are some things the Vespera II does extremely well, like imaging some of the most well-known galaxies, nebulas and night sky objects, and other things it struggles with, like observing planets in any great detail.
Image resolution: 8.3 MP
Focal ratio: F/5
Size: 40 x 20 x 9 cm (closed)
Field of view: 2.5 x 1.4-degrees (native)
Mount: Motorized alt-az
Battery: 4 hours (built-in)
Connectivity: Wi-Fi
Weight: 11 lbs (5 kg)
But who is the Vespera II for? The absolute beginner? Kind of. Beginners with a healthy sum ready to invest in the latest bit of smart technology who have a good appreciation of the night sky but don’t have the technical knowledge to operate their own manual telescope might be one type of person.
Alternatively, even veteran astronomers who no longer have the patience or time to set up their traditional telescope may find the grab-and-go approach to night sky observations appealing.
There’s no getting around the fact that decent smart telescopes do cost a fair bit of money, but as far as smart telescopes that are worth their salt go, we think the Vespera II is excellent value for money, seemingly outperforming some of the competition that is priced much higher.
- Simple, minimalist interface
- Small and lightweight
- Incredibly simple to put together and take anywhere
The Vespera II may look almost identical to its older counterpart the Vaonis Vespera but we believe this is a case of “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it”. The exterior shell is bright, glossy white with a rotating telescope arm, a tripod connection at the bottom, a single power button and a USB-C connection for charging.
Everything is sleek and rounded and feels well designed. There is an adjustable height tripod that astronomers can purchase separately but we reviewed the telescope with the fixed-height tripod. This was great and frustrating in equal measure. The tripod legs and feet can be unscrewed for easier storage and the low center of gravity means the Vespera II is unlikely to topple or tilt. However, there were times when placing the telescope so close to the ground actually hindered our ability to see objects close to the horizon.
The filters can be changed easily: With a short press-in on the existing protective plate, the filter pops right out and can be replaced with a light pollution filter (pictured below) or a solar filter that can be purchased separately for safe solar observing.
Largely the smart telescope is ideal for viewing parties, casual imaging in the backyard or even serious observing sessions where users cannot carry heavy or complex observing equipment long distances. The only trouble we encountered with its design was during setup, accidentally pressing the power button a few times which is hard to avoid while handling the telescope.
