Vaonis is driven by innovation, constantly pushing the boundaries of smart astrophotography. When I used the Stellina 80mm smart scope, I was amazed at how seamlessly the built-in electronics simplified the imaging process. Now, with the latest Vespera Pro update, they’re taking automation to the next level with a groundbreaking feature: automatic image calibration powered by Universal Master Dark technology.
This advancement redefines smart scope astrophotography. Dark frames have always been essential for enhancing image quality, but the need to recalibrate for each session could be a time-consuming hurdle. Vaonis has solved this challenge with Universal Master Dark, streamlining the process and setting a new standard for smart scopes.
One calibration file works across various observation environments. It includes both bias and offset data, ensuring higher accuracy. The need for frequent recalibration is eliminated, so users can focus on capturing the night sky instead of setting up new dark frames.
With automatic calibration, Vespera Pro offers sharper images with less effort. Noise and hot pixels are reduced automatically, allowing users to capture more details in the sky. Time is saved, and the experience is enhanced, giving users more time for observing. Vaonis' unique approach simplifies astrophotography for both beginners and experts. Vespera Pro's features can transform astrophotography experiences, making it easier to explore the night sky.
The new automatic calibration feature allows Vespera Pro users to capture sharper, more detailed images effortlessly by reducing digital noise and optimizing observation quality, while keeping the capture process simple.
Capturing images of galaxies and nebulae requires sensitive sensors and long exposure times. This process records the light from celestial objects (the "signal") and introduces unwanted "noise" caused by the sensor’s electronics, including artifacts like hot pixels—points that remain illuminated regardless of the actual signal.
Vaonis smart telescopes automatically use a stacking technique to reduce noise and produce high-quality images. Greater image clarity can be achieved by calibrating individual frames before stacking.
By taking an image in complete darkness (with the lens covered), a calibration image, or dark frame, is created. This dark frame maps the sensor’s imperfections, allowing these flaws to be subtracted from the captured images.
The noise generated by the sensor depends on exposure time, gain, and ambient temperature. Traditionally, specific calibration images must be captured under conditions similar to the observation, which can be inconvenient.
Vaonis developed a technique called the Universal Master Dark, a single calibration model applicable to all observation conditions. It also incorporates offset or bias data. Once created, the Universal Master Dark can be used for all observations, eliminating the need to frequently capture new calibration images for each session.
1. Turn on the Vespera Pro and connect it to a smartphone or tablet via Wi-Fi.
2. Open the Singularity app and confirm the instrument is detected.
3. Place the supplied lens cap over the telescope’s aperture and ensure the arm is folded down (the telescope does not need to be initialized).
4. Access the instrument settings through the corresponding widget.
5. Select "Calibration Frames" and follow the on-screen instructions.
6. If the operation is interrupted during the capture, restart from the beginning.
Generating the Universal Master Dark takes about 30 minutes. This file needs to be created once, but it is recommended to renew it every 12 months. Perform this operation in a warm ambient temperature (20–25°C) and ensure complete darkness by using the lens cap. This task can easily be done indoors during the day.
1. Go to the instrument’s Settings screen.
2. Select "Settings."
3. Enable the option "Use the Master Dark."
4. Begin the observation.
Note: Automatic calibration is only applied to observations involving stacking (e.g., galaxies, nebulae) and is not used for live observations like those of the Moon or Sun.
The Universal Master Dark applies to any observation involving stacking with exposure times between 1 and 25 seconds, gain levels between 1 and 27 dB, and regardless of temperature. To verify that automatic calibration is active during an observation, a specific icon will appear at the top of the observation screen next to the object name.
The difference between using the Universal Master Dark through automatic calibration and capturing darks in expert mode is that darks captured in expert mode are intended for manual stacking after the observation and do not affect the ongoing observation. Automatic calibration, on the other hand, is applied during the observation. It does not affect the individual FITS images recorded by the telescope, as FITS images are intended for manual stacking, possibly with the manual capture of darks.
Automatic calibration does affect the 16-bit TIF images intended for manual processing, as TIF files for manual image processing are generated from the automatically calibrated images if the feature was enabled before the observation. However, the Universal Master Dark cannot be used with traditional astrophotography software for manual stacking because it uses specific algorithms developed by Vaonis that are not implemented in traditional software. For manual stacking, darks must be captured in expert mode.
Automatic calibration does apply when capturing mosaics, as long as the feature is enabled before starting the capture. It also applies for observations using Plan My Night, provided the feature is activated at the time the plan is launched. If automatic calibration is enabled or disabled during an observation, the observation settings applied are those defined at the start. If automatic calibration was not enabled initially, the observation must be restarted to benefit from it.
In multi-night observations, if automatic calibration is enabled at the start, it will remain active when resumed, regardless of the setting in the Singularity interface. If it was disabled at the start, it will remain disabled for the resumed observation. Automatic calibration does not impact the acquisition speed during observation, and it does not affect the file size of the images.
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