Vaonis Vespera

A sleek, all-in-one smart telescope that looks more like a designer speaker than an astronomical instrument. The Vespera uses a 50mm refractor with a Sony sensor to capture and stack images automatically, controlled entirely via smartphone app. No eyepiece — everything is viewed on your phone or tablet. It's not for purists who want to "look through" a telescope, but for social astronomers who want to share stunning deep-sky images at star parties without any technical knowledge. Runs about $1,500.