Vaonis Hestia Smart Telescope – Ultimate Pack

The Vaonis Hestia Ultimate Pack offers a unique approach to smartphone astronomy by combining precision optical engineering with the camera already in your pocket. Rather than incorporating an electronic camera or computer-controlled telescope, Hestia is an optical instrument that securely mounts your compatible smartphone behind its lens system, allowing your phone to capture magnified views of the night sky and distant terrestrial subjects.

Its optical system consists of six precision lenses arranged in three groups with a 30mm aperture, providing approximately 25× optical magnification. By enlarging the image projected onto your smartphone’s camera sensor, Hestia enables significantly greater detail than would be possible using the phone alone, making it suitable for photographing lunar craters, sunspots when used with the supplied solar filter, bright star clusters and larger deep-sky objects.

Unlike fully automated smart telescopes, Hestia contains no electronic camera, battery or motorised mount. Instead, it relies on your smartphone for image capture and processing while the Gravity by Vaonis app provides interactive sky maps, guided object location and image capture tools. This straightforward design means there is no internal battery to charge or firmware to update, while remaining compatible with a wide range of modern smartphones.

The included tripod provides a stable platform for observing and photography, helping reduce vibration during image capture. The Ultimate Pack also includes the official Bluetooth remote control, allowing images to be captured without touching the smartphone. This helps minimise camera shake, particularly when photographing the Moon or using longer exposure times.

A dedicated solar filter is also supplied as standard, allowing the Sun to be observed and photographed safely when fitted correctly. This extends Hestia’s capabilities beyond night-time astronomy, making it suitable for observing sunspots and other solar features under appropriate conditions.

Hestia is equally capable during daylight hours, functioning as a telephoto attachment for wildlife, landscape and architectural photography. Combined with its lightweight construction and compact dimensions, it is easy to carry on holidays, camping trips and outdoor adventures where a traditional telescope would be less practical.

Because Hestia uses your smartphone’s own imaging capabilities, the quality of the final photographs depends partly on the camera fitted to your phone. Compatible smartphones benefit from the telescope’s precision optics while retaining access to their own image processing features and software enhancements.

Designed for beginners and casual astronomy enthusiasts, the Vaonis Hestia Ultimate Pack provides an accessible introduction to astronomical imaging without the complexity of traditional telescopes or dedicated astrophotography equipment. The addition of the solar filter and Bluetooth remote makes it the most complete Hestia package for users wishing to explore both daytime and night-time astronomy.