[image:vaonis]

Have you ever looked at the wonders of the James Webb Space Telescope and thought, ‘I wish I could do that’?

Well, little did you know that there is a nifty gadget that can allow you to take photographs of the Sun, Moon, and stars without complex hardware or extensive knowledge of astronomy.

Okay, the images won’t be JWST tier, but they will make your friends marvel and your nights more sparkly.

Vaonis has announced the Hestia, what it calls the first-ever smartphone telescope for taking photos of the cosmos:

 

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While Vaonis has already released a series of smart telescopes that cover a range of prices, like the 61-megapixel Hyperia ($45 000/R700 000) or the much more affordable $1 499 (R26 500) Vespera, the Hestia is a little cooler.

The previous two systems are commanded by an all-in-one smartphone app, but the Hestia leverages the camera everyone carries in their pocket as the actual capture system.

“Harnessing the power of your smartphone and our cutting-edge technology, Hestia enables you to capture the brilliance of the Sun, the enchanting beauty of the Moon, and the captivating depths of the Universe — without complex setups or extensive knowledge of astronomy. Simply place your smartphone on Hestia’s ocular, align the device with the celestial object of your choice, let yourself be guided by our super user-friendly app, and unlock a whole new world of exploration.”

Sounds simple enough:

 

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For the real nerds, here are the technicalities:

The design of the Hestia uses a patented six-lens in three groups optical design that features a 30mm (1.2 inch) objective and prisms to collect and focus light directly into a smartphone’s camera. It has a 1.8-degree field of view, and through the Vaonis app, images can be captured as either JPEGs or TIFFs.

It uses a magnetic mount to assure that it can accommodate all present and future smartphone designs, and as smartphone cameras improve, so will what is able to be captured with Hestia.

Vaonis says its compact smartphone telescope mount provides up to five times better sharpness and detail resolution of lunar craters and sunspots than a smartphone alone and up to 25 times better low light sensitivity.

The Vaonis Hestia is available to back on Kickstarter for as little as $149 (R2 600), which is 40% off the $249 (R4 400) expected final retail price.

Although the iPhone isn’t nearly as powerful as this telescope, it’s still able to take good night sky photos. That’s because astrophotography is really about long exposures, and that’s something iPhone 11 and up is well-equipped for.

Introduced with these models, Night Mode takes brighter photos in low-light environments, boosting clarity while reducing noise.

This is the most affordable setup to take night sky photos with an iPhone, though Night Mode is only available on these models, according to Apple Insider:

• iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max

If you don’t have one of those models and wish to upgrade your astrophotography game, head over to Digicape, South Africa’s largest independent Apple retailer.

Digicape offers a trade-in option, which makes it easier and more affordable than ever to upgrade. Fill in this form to trade in your preloved devices at Digicape and use the value towards your next purchase.

The stars are waiting.

[source:petapixel]