Celestron Origin vs Vaonis Hestia: Premium Specs vs Compact Device

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

*Price may be subject to change, so please use the links on this page to check at various retailers

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.

Compact Convenience	Advanced Astrophotography
Vaonis Hestia	Celestron Origin
$275.00	$4,299.00
Buy at Agena Astro	Buy at Agena Astro
Buy at High Point Scientific	Check All Stores