Vaonis Stellina

Discontinued by Vaonis during 2024, the Stellina is no longer available new: its last official price was 3,999 € and this page is now aimed at anyone considering a used one. The manufacturer still maintains support and software updates, which makes a second-hand purchase defensible, but against the current Vespera models its 6.4 MP and 11.2 kg weigh heavily.

Verdict in three lines

Released in 2019 after a 2018 prototype, the Stellina was the first fully realised consumer smart telescope: automatic alignment by plate-solving, autofocus, a motorised field derotator, dew heating, a rain sensor and a hygrometer all built in, assembled in Montpellier and driven by an app widely judged elegant. Optically it is a Nasmyth-focus refractor-reflector arrangement, 80 mm at f/5 for 400 mm of focal length, with a Sony IMX178 BSI CMOS colour sensor in 1/1.8″ format at 3096 × 2080 pixels, meaning 6.4 MP, a 14-bit converter and a 1.0° × 0.7° field.

The ED doublet, rather than a triplet, leaves residual chromatic aberration. The Wi-Fi drops out often, battery life tops out around 5 h and the catalogue holds roughly 300 objects against more than 5,000 elsewhere. Note also that the last official price was quoted in euros; we have no manufacturer US price on file for this model, so the 3,999 € figure is given as-is.

If you want an equivalent but current instrument, look at the Vespera III at $2,490 or the Vespera Pro 2 at $2,990: cheaper than the Stellina’s last price, lighter and better defined. At 3,999 € the Stellina was hard to defend; several hundred euros below the 2,490 € of a Vespera III, the equation changes.

The Stellina is right for you if…

You find one heavily discounted used. This is the only scenario that now makes sense, and it is a real one: the hardware is durable and the software is still maintained.

You observe from a light-polluted city. The built-in CLS light-pollution filter is unique in the Vaonis range, and combined with 80 mm of aperture it lets you work from sites many would write off.

You want aperture and focal length. 80 mm at f/5 and 400 mm of focal length, against 245 mm for the Vespera Pro 2: no current model in the range matches it on either count.

You value documented behaviour. The Stellina has been reviewed and used since 2019, which is more than can be said for the newest Vaonis releases.

Skip it if…

You want to buy new. It has been discontinued since 2024: no new stock remains, and going used means accepting a model Vaonis no longer sells.

You carry your gear. 11.2 kg for 49 × 39 × 13 cm, with an 86 cm working height that blocks the horizon, is bulky and awkward in the field.

You want resolution. 6.4 MP, when the Vespera Pro 2 states 12.5 MP natively and 50 MP in mosaic.

You observe all night. Around 5 h of battery life against 11 h on current rivals.

What it actually delivers in the field

Deep sky

The 80 mm at f/5 collect more light than the current Vespera models, and the automatic plate-solving alignment finds and photographs a target within a few minutes. The limitation is downstream: 6.4 MP over a 1.0° × 0.7° field, with images consistently described as low-resolution relative to the original price. On big extended objects the narrow field is the real constraint, since there is no mosaic mode to widen it.

Moon and Sun

With 400 mm of focal length and a 1.0° × 0.7° field, the Moon at roughly half a degree occupies a good half of the field width: comfortable framing, full disc. For solar observation a suitable dedicated filter is required, as the built-in CLS filter is a light-pollution filter and offers no solar protection whatsoever.

Planets

A 400 mm focal length and 2.4 µm photosites do not give the sampling needed to resolve Jupiter’s belts, and the ED doublet makes the problem worse by leaving residual chromatic aberration, precisely the defect most visible on bright, high-contrast targets. Planetary work is not what this instrument is for.

Urban skies: what the built-in CLS filter changes

This is the Stellina’s most distinctive remaining argument. It is the only Vaonis model with an integrated CLS light-pollution filter, where the Vespera range sells filters as options at extra cost. Combined with 80 mm of aperture, the arrangement lets you work from sites many observers would consider lost to light pollution, with no accessory to buy and nothing to swap in the dark.

How the Stellina compares to its current replacements

Stellina vs Vaonis Vespera III

The Vespera III at $2,490 costs 1,509 € less than the Stellina’s last official price, weighs a fraction of its 11.2 kg and lasts a full night where the Stellina stops around 5 h. The Stellina keeps the aperture, the focal length and its built-in CLS filter. Bear in mind that no independent test of the Vespera III has been published yet. Short of a heavily discounted used unit and a strictly urban use case, the Vespera III is the obvious choice today.

Stellina vs Vaonis Vespera Pro 2

The Vespera Pro 2 at $2,990 sets 12.5 MP natively and 50 MP in CovalENS mosaic against the Stellina’s 6.4 MP, with 11 h of battery life and 5 kg. It has however been the subject of no published independent test, whereas the Stellina has been documented since 2019. The Pro 2 wins across the technical board, provided you accept a product whose performance remains a manufacturer claim.

Stellina vs Unistellar eQuinox 2

The eQuinox 2 at $2,899 (2,599 € in Europe) is the closest rival in philosophy: a self-contained instrument, a broad catalogue, and above all 114 mm of aperture against the Stellina’s 80 mm. It costs less than the Stellina’s last official price while collecting substantially more light, and its object catalogue dwarfs the Stellina’s roughly 300 entries. The Stellina answers with its integrated CLS filter and its French assembly, which is a narrow basis on which to win.

Alternatives by budget

Entry level: the Seestar S30 at $399 and the Seestar S50 at $499, or the Dwarf 3 at $549 with its filters included, all of which outperform the Stellina on definition for a fraction of the money.

Mid range: the Vespera II at $1,590, the best-documented Vaonis option, or the Unistellar Odyssey at $2,599.

Around $2,500 to $3,000: the Vespera III at $2,490 or the Vespera Pro 2 at $2,990, the direct successors.

Above: the eVscope 2 at $4,999 or the Celestron Origin at $4,299 for substantially more aperture.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Vaonis Stellina discontinued?

Yes. Vaonis discontinued the product during 2024 and states so explicitly. It can no longer be found new; only the second-hand market still allows you to acquire one.

Does Vaonis still support the Stellina?

Yes. The manufacturer has confirmed that support and software updates remain in place despite the end of sales. This is the main argument in favour of a used purchase.

How much internal storage does the Stellina have?

Available sources do not give a figure for the Stellina’s internal storage, and we prefer not to put forward a value. What is documented is that image retrieval goes through the USB ports and the smartphone.

Can the Stellina shoot mosaics like the Vespera models?

No. No mosaic function is documented on this model. CovalENS, the Vaonis mosaic technology, exists only on the Vespera range, which limits the Stellina to its native 1.0° × 0.7° field.

Why do its images show chromatic aberration?

Because the optics use an ED doublet rather than an apochromatic triplet, which leaves residual chromatic aberration. It shows most on bright, high-contrast targets such as the Moon and the brighter stars.