Vaonis makes some of the most unique smart telescopes in the market with their Vespera series, which transforms from a nondescript device to a powerful astronomy tool at the push of a button. This time around, they make that cool-looking telescope even cooler in the form of the Vaonis Vespera II X Edition.
No, it’s not an entirely new telescope, but a modified version of the existing Vespera II. While the optics, motors, and electronics stay pretty much the same, it does get an entirely new transparent housing, allowing you to see the telescope at work, so you can get a clear picture of its inner machinations. That’s right, they gave the smart telescope the transparent treatment, giving it a very stylish contemporary aesthetic.
The Vaonis Vespera II X Edition is a limited run version of the second-generation Vespera, bringing the same hardware and feature set that’s made it one of the best smart telescopes available today. Except, in this iteration, the outer housing is all transparent, allowing you to see the 216 individual components of the telescope in action. From the altitude motor and the camera module to the motorized focuser and the apochromatic lens array, everything is bared for your inquiring mind to inspect and admire. According to the outfit, they wanted the design to showcase “the mechanical precision and optical excellence” that makes the original Vespera II “a true jewel of French engineering.”
Do note, it still has non-transparent exterior components, specifically the one-piece cast aluminum chassis that provides shock resistance for lasting alignment, although only the transparent sections are visible when the whole thing is collapsed. Vaonis, by the way, calls the shell “translucent,” since it’s a little cloudy (which helps the aesthetic), although it’s really mostly transparent (as in, you can clearly see everything inside).
The Vaonis Vespera II X Edition houses a Sony IMX585 image sensor, which has been tuned for astrophotography, as well as an apochromatic quadruplet optical design with a 250mm focal length. It has a native resolution of 8.3 megapixels, although it offers a Mosaic Mode that stitches together multiple fields of view on the fly to deliver 24MP images to give a wider cosmic panorama. As with other smart telescopes, it comes with an app that you can use to choose the celestial objects you want to observe, with the device automatically making the necessary adjustments to point and track that particular object. It gets all the smart features from the original, too, including multi-night tracking for deep sky details, autofocus for consistently sharp views of the night sky, and more.
The onboard battery holds enough charge to keep it running for four continuous hours between charges, so make sure to keep a power bank on hand if you plan to stay longer. Other features include 25GB of internal storage, smart thermal control with passive cooling around the sensor, a cast-iron counterweight to ensure vibration-free movement, and a clutch system that lets you make manual adjustments without damaging the drive.
Only 300 examples of the Vaonis Vespera II X Edition will be made. Price is €2,290.
