I purchased a used Vaonis Vespera smart telescope, but if I wanted to buy the “official” (and proprietary) Dual Band filter to use for imaging emission nebula, it would cost $400 USD!
This especially smarts, as I already own a 2″ SVBony SV220 dual band filter that I use on my main telescope. Luckily for me, aureliend2000 has posted a 3D model on Thingiverse that allows you to create your own ‘Vespera compatible’ filter by screwing in any standard 2″ optical filter.
[And if you put a 24k Ohm resistor in the right spot, the Vespera automatically detects that a “Dual” band filter is installed, setting the gain of the camera appropriately.]
Here is a video showing the full process of how I made mine:
Here is a 48min exposure of the Rosette Nebula (from Bortle 7.5) without the Dual Band filter:
And for comparison, here is a 48 min exposure WITH the SvBony SV220 dual band filter:
And here is a 57 minute exposure of the Owl Nebula using the SV220 dual band filter:
Considering I already had the SV220 filter, a 3D printer, and a 24k Ohm resistor “in stock” I’m very pleased with the ability to use a dual band on the Vespera without spending (any more) money. I’m so happy with the result that I’ve ordered a sheet of solar film and plan on making my own Solar Filter so I can use the Vespera to image the sun. [Yes, my Zwo Seestar S50 came with a solar filter and a built in light pollution / DB filter….but the optics, tracking, and software of the Vespera are all just slightly nicer, and since I got it used the cost wasn’t outrageous.]
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