Observations of the Moon with the Vaonis Vespera Pro

Introduction | First Experiences with Photos of the Moon | First Conclusions | Links

On this page, I describe my first experiences with my electronic 2" refractor telescope Vaonis Vespera Pro 50 mm/250 mm (f/5) when observing the moon.

Introduction

Photo: My Vaonis Vespera Pro (May 8, 2024)

First Experiences with Photos of the Moon

In the following, I present my first photos of the moon, which I took with the Vespera Pro. These are sections that I brightened up and sharpened (Topaz Photo AI). They range from the crescent moon to the "golden handle", i.e. almost to the full moon.

Photos of the Moon are Black&White!

According to the Vaonis Help Center, photos of the moon are black&white only ([Vespera range] Can I see the true colors of the Moon?).

Warning About the Firmware Update from February 25, 2025

Before the firmware update of February 25, 2025, the photos may have been somewhat poor in contrast, but even the brightest parts of the moon were barely washed out. After the update, the photos are more contrasty, but this means that larger parts of the moon have been washed out beyond repair. This information can no longer be reconstructed. This makes the moon photos with the Vespera Pro quite unusable for me. Here are two sample photos:

After the update, made brighter (Mar 5, 2025)

Before the update, made brighter (Feb 4, 2025)

I opened a ticket on this issue, and Vaonis promised that they will take a look at it.

March 2, 2025: Crescent of the Moon Taken with Vespera Pro

made brighter

made brighter and sharpened

February 1, 2025: Crescent of the Moon Taken with Vespera Pro

made brighter

made brighter and sharpened

February 2, 2025: Crescent of the Moon Taken with Vespera Pro

made brighter

made brighter and sharpened

March 4, 2025: Crecent of the Moon with Vespera Pro, Crescent of Venus, Mercury

made brighter

made brighter and sharpened

March 5, 2025: Nearly Half Moon Taken with Vespera Pro

made brighter

made brighter and sharpened

February 4, 2025: Nearly Halfmoon Taken with Vespera Pro

made brighter

made brighter and sharpened

made brighter and sharpened in large (click in photo presents 1:1 pixel section)

March 6, 2025: Half Moon with Vespera Pro

made brighter

made brighter and sharpened

March 8, 2025: One Day after Half Moon with Vespera Pro

made brighter

made brighter and sharpened

February 7, 2025: More than Halfmoon with Vespera Pro

made brighter

made brighter and sharpened

February 8, 2025: Moon with Golden Handle with Vespera Pro

made brighter

made brighter and sharpened

March 9, 2025: Moon with Golden Handle with Vespera Pro

For photos from this day, I used Affinity Photo's "Focus Combination" function to create a "sum image" from all the photos in the series from which the photo shown in the top row originates (bottom row). I like the painstakingly selected individual images better!

made brighter

made brighter and sharpened

With "Focus combination" combined, made brighter

With "Focus combination" combined, made brighter and sharpened

First Conclusions

Observations of the moon are very easy with the Vaonis Vespera Pro. The photos are not as sharp as when I take photos with normal telescopes and a photo camera, but with a little sharpening the photos are acceptable.

Regrettably, the photos are washed out in the bright regions since the last firmware update in February 25, 2025. I opened a ticket on this issue, and Vaonis promised that they will take a look at it.