Celestron Origin vs Vaonis Hestia: 10 Second Summary
- The Celestron Origin is the best smart telescope for astrophotography and is effectively an off-the-shelf astrophotography setup with telescope, mount, camera and necessary accessories in an easy to use package.
- It comes at a premium price and is heavy compared to other smart telescopes, let alone the Hestia
- The Vaonis Hestia is a small and lightweight device that effectively turns your smartphone into a budget smart telescope.
- It is compact, easy to use, much cheaper than the Celestron Origin, and (to an extent) future-proof as it can improve as your smartphone camera improves. However, it will not compete with the Celestron Origin for actual astrophotography performance.
Why choose the Celestron Origin over the Vaonis Hestia?
The Celestron Origin is a premium smart telescope from American astronomy manufacturer Celestron that was released in 2024.
The advantages over the Vaonis Hestia are:
- The Celestron Origin telescope type is a specialist astrophotography type called a Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph (RASA) that is well-loved and proven by experienced astrophotographers.
- The telescope has 6-inch aperture which is far above the 1.2-inches of the Vaonis Hestia and so the images produced will be superior.
- The Celestron Origin is the best smart telescope for actual astrophotography and is effectively an off-the-shelf astrophotography setup with telescope, mount, camera and necessary accessories in an easy to use package.
In terms of downsides versus the Vaonis Hestia:
- Naturally, the Celestron Origin package is much larger and substantially heavier and so cannot compete in terms of portability and ease of storage
- The Celestron Origin is much more expensive
Why choose the Vaonis Hestia over the Celestron Origin?
The Hestia, from French company Vaonis, is not a smart telescope. It is a device to use with your smartphone for astrophotography to effectively turn it into a smart telescope.
Its advantages over the Celestron Origin are:
- It is small, compact and weighs a fraction of the Celestron Origin. They are completely different in this regard.
- It is much cheaper (although this price may creep up if you later add a tracking mount)
- It can improve as your smartphone camera improves. I.e. if you get a better phone that upgrades you from a 10 megapixel to a 200 megapixel, then so does your Hestia.
The main downside versus the Celestron Origin is that it cannot compete in terms of actual astrophotography capabilities.
The Hestia is right for you if you want a relatively cheap and portable option to enhance your smartphone astrophotography.
Telescope Specifications
The Celestron Origin has:
- 152mm (6 inch) aperture
- 335mm focal length
- f/2.2 focal ratio
- 1.27° x 0.85° field of view
The Vaonis Hestia has:
- 30mm (1.2 inch) aperture
- 1.8° x 1.8° field of view
Size and Weight
The Celestron Origin weighs 18.9kg (41.6 lb) and has dimensions of 122 x 66 x 61 ((H x W x L in cm).
The Vaonis Hestia weighs 0.85kg (1.9 lb) and has dimensions of 17 x 24 x 5.5 ((H x W x L in cm).
Price and Value for Money
The Celestron Origin costs $3,999, and the Vaonis Hestia $299.
Note, these may vary so check the links to compare retailers if thinking about buying.
Specifications
| Celestron Origin | Vaonis Hestia | |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 2024 | 2024 |
| Aperture | 152mm (6 inch) | 30mm (1.2 inch) |
| Focal Length | 335mm | Unknown |
| Focal Ratio | f/2.2 | Unknown |
| Limiting Magnitude | 13.61 | 10.09 |
| OTA type | Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph | Refractor |
| Eyepiece | No | No |
| Field of View | 1.27° x 0.85° | 1.8° x 1.8° |
| Resolution | 6.4MP | N/A |
| Sensor Size | 3096 x 2080 | N/A |
| Sensor | Sony IMX178 | N/A |
| Pixel Size | 2.4μm | N/A |
| Image Formats | Raw | JPEG, TIFF |
| Mosaic Mode | No | No |
| Size (H x W x L) cm | 122 x 66 x 61 | 17 x 24 x 5.5 |
| Weight | 18.9kg (41.6 lb) | 0.85kg (1.9 lb) |
| Mount | Included | Not included |
| Tripod | Included | Not included |
| Battery Life | 6 hrs | N/A |
| Internal Storage | unknown | N/A |
| Dew Control | Built-in | None |
| Retail Price* | $3,999 | $299 |
Vaonis Hestia vs Celestron Origin Verdict
The Celestron Origin is a premium smart telescope with the best astrophotography capabilities of any model. It is in a premium price bracket and is relatively large and heavy.
The Hestia is right for you if you want a relatively cheap and portable device to enhance your smartphone astrophotography.
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Compact Convenience
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Advanced Astrophotography
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$299.00
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$3,999.00
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Related content and more information
- Best Smart Telescopes Comparison
- Vaonis website: Hestia
- Skies & Scopes Hestia review
- Celestron Origin website
- Skies & Scopes Celestron Origin review
Other Celestron Origin comparisons:
- Celestron Origin vs Dwarflab DWARF II
- Celestron Origin vs Unistellar eQuinox
- Celestron Origin vs Unistellar eQuinox 2
- Celestron Origin vs Unistellar eVscope 2
- Celestron Origin vs Unistellar Odyssey
- Celestron Origin vs Unistellar Odyssey Pro
- Celestron Origin vs Stellina & eVscope
- Celestron Origin vs Vaonis Vespera
- Celestron Origin vs Vaonis Vespera II
- Celestron Origin vs Vaonis Vespera Pro
- Celestron Origin vs ZWO Seestar S50
Other Vaonis Hestia comparisons:
