Though it’s marketed as a white-light photo voltaic telescope, the iOptron 80mm White Mild Photo voltaic Scope is mostly a nighttime scope (which may be bought by itself) alongside a removable photo voltaic filter from Thousand Oaks. This can be a perk for customers who do not personal a telescope and wish to buy a package that is prepared for each photo voltaic and lunar viewing. Nonetheless, it is probably not of curiosity to anybody who already has a bigger scope.
The telescope is light-weight with a streamlined design, and two helpful eyepieces are included. The smaller aperture of the telescope — 2.4-inches (60mm) with the photo voltaic filter connected and three.1-inches (80mm) with out the photo voltaic filter — makes this telescope extra appropriate for newbies. And, the value is affordable for this viewers.
iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope review
iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope: Design
- Simple aluminum body in bright blue
- Sleek 60mm solar filter
- Traditional 9mm and 25mm eyepieces
The iOptron 80mm telescope is a simple-looking refracting telescope with a 3.1-inch (80mm) aperture. It is vibrant blue, with a transparent iOptron emblem on the finish of the telescope. On the base of the telescope, there’s a rack-and-pinion focus with a 1.25-inch (32mm) eyepiece slot. The shortage of a finder scope and the eyepiece opening on the very finish of the scope give it a smooth and streamlined look. The package additionally features a 45-degree erect glass prism, permitting for simpler viewing of high-altitude objects. Easy 0.35-inch (9mm) and 1-inch (25mm) eyepieces are additionally included.
A singular promoting level of this telescope is the featured SolarLite photo voltaic filter from Thousand Oaks. The filter has a easy design, mounting onto the top of the telescope with three screws. The photo voltaic filter has an aperture of solely 2.4 inches (60mm), which decreases the usable aperture dimension from the three.1-inch (80mm) telescope measurement. Thousand Oaks is a reliable producer of photo voltaic filters, so you may have peace of thoughts that the filter is protected.
Specs
Weight: 3lbs (1.3 kg)
Dimensions: 13.8 x 4.1 x 4.1-inches (350 x 105 x 105 mm)
Optical design: Refractor
Aperture: 3.15-inches (80mm), or 2.36-inches (60mm) with the photo voltaic filter
Focal size: 15.7-inches (400 mm)
Focal ratio: f/5.0
Eyepiece focal size: 25mm (16x) and 9mm (44x)
Mount sort: Alt-azimuth
The iOptron 80mm was designed primarily as a night-sky telescope, which is obvious from the protection label with a warning in opposition to its use for photo voltaic observations. This label is considerably useful, to remind you to connect the photo voltaic filter earlier than pointing on the solar. Nonetheless, it may be complicated for patrons who bought the telescope-solar-filter bundle particularly for photo voltaic viewing. Relaxation assured: With the photo voltaic filter connected, photo voltaic viewing is protected.
The beauty finishes on the telescope are usually not high-quality. The plastic rack-and-pinion focus has small, white discs to cover the screws beneath, but one popped out throughout my first observing session.
iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope: Performance
- Easily visible sunspots
- Inclusion of useful 9mm and 25mm eyepieces
- Views of soft, golden-orange sun
- Potentially problematic plastic focus knob
I tested the iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope on a clear, cloudless day at around 4 p.m. The sun was not at its highest by this time — but I live in a dry location over 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) above sea level, so atmospheric conditions are generally quite stable for nighttime and solar astronomy.
With the solar filter attached, the aperture of the telescope is only 60 mm wide. Through the 9mm eyepiece, the sun filled up the view nicely, but the wider 25mm view was more forgiving for non-tracking mounts. The sun appeared a nice golden orange through the solar filter.
The telescope performed as expected for a 60mm aperture white-light scope. Sunspot regions were visible (even through the 25mm eyepiece), with the difference between the umbra (the dark center of the sunspot) and the penumbra (the lighter edge of the sunspot) at the edge of visibility to a keen eye. As with all solar observations, your viewing experience will depend on the size and presence (or lack thereof) of sunspots on a given observation day, which will change constantly. At the time of my observations, only small sunspots were near the center of the sun, with a larger region rotating into view.
The images above show a comparison between a photograph taken through the iOptron telescope (a single shot from a Sony A7 IV with a Barlow lens) and a white-light image of the sun from the space-based Solar Dynamics Observatory. Naturally, the image from space is much clearer and sharper, but the iOptron telescope still picked out all of the sunspot regions. A more ambitious photographer could obtain sharper sun images by stacking multiple images together.
My primary criticism with the telescope’s performance is the plastic focusing knob, which is a little stiff and not of the highest quality. When I turned the knob, it caused the telescope to wobble a fair amount and thus required readjustment of the telescope.
iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope: Functionality
- Lightweight, portable design
- Easy setup
- No finder scope, which may cause difficulties for beginners
The iOptron 80mm is lightweight and easy to carry over long distances. The setup is instantaneous; the telescope easily mounts onto a tripod, and the solar filter is easy to attach to the end of the scope. Don’t forget this step! The 45-degree erect glass prism is a nice inclusion; it allows you to angle the eyepiece away from the telescope for easier viewing while the sun is high in the sky.
The iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope has a basic design. It lacks a finder scope, which would need its own solar filter, or at least an indication of where the sun is relative to the pointing. By contrast, most dedicated solar telescopes include this feature to help you find the sun. For this reason, it may take beginner astronomers a little time to find the sun within the field of view.
User reviews of the iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope
There do not appear to be any online reviews of the solar-filter-telescope combination. However, there are reviews of the telescope without the solar filter, rated on its use for nighttime astronomy. On the High Point Scientific web site, two opinions independently point out the problems with the main target knob that I additionally discovered throughout my testing:
“A very good primary refractor telescope. Helpful for terrestrial daytime viewing and vast discipline viewing of moon, and huge objects like comets. Nonetheless, low-cost plastic focusing housing causes picture shift making astrophotography troublesome. (4/5)”
“The view via the iOptron 80 is nice, however there’s a drawback with focusing. Once you flip the knob to focus, the article strikes back and forth relying upon which means the knob is turned. Typically it will possibly transfer fully out of view. You possibly can see the eyepiece holder transfer facet to facet as you flip the knob forwards and backwards. (3/5)”
Do you have to purchase the iOptron 80mm White Mild Photo voltaic Scope?
Purchase it if:
✅ You are new to astronomy and desire a single telescope for each daytime and nighttime astronomy.
✅ You want a compact, light-weight photo voltaic telescope: The iOptron 80mm White Mild Photo voltaic Scope ticks each these containers.
Do not buy it if:
❌ You already personal a primary nighttime telescope: There is not a lot level swapping to this one if you have already got an honest telescope for astronomy.
❌ You wish to {photograph} the solar: This is not doable utilizing this scope.
The iOptron 80mm White Mild Photo voltaic Scope is an honest buy if you don’t already personal a telescope and wish to purchase one thing versatile for each photo voltaic and lunar astronomy. It has a small aperture, but it surely’s straightforward to arrange, making it appropriate for newbies.
In the event you already personal an everyday (nonsolar) telescope, it’s most likely higher to buy a photo voltaic filter instantly for the scope you already personal. This may prevent cash and will offer you a bigger aperture than the 60mm photo voltaic filter included with the iOptron 80mm White Mild Photo voltaic Scope. Thousand Oaks, the corporate that makes the photo voltaic filter included with this product, additionally sells photo voltaic filters for different telescope sizes.
If the iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope isn’t for you
If the iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope isn’t for you, you have a couple of options. If you already own a telescope, the cheapest option is to buy a Thousand Oaks filter to fit your scope. That may even provide better results, if your scope’s aperture is wider than 80mm.
Alternatively, if you want a basic, out-the-box solar telescope setup, consider the Celestron EclipSmart Travel Solar Scope 50 telescope or the PowerSeeker 60AZ refractor telescope with free EclipSmart solar filter, which serve a similar function as the iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope, but come with a tripod and finder scope (at the expense of a smaller aperture).
If you want to invest in a solar-specific telescope, then H-alpha observations provide a far better view of the sun than white-light solar telescopes do. White-light filters are restricted to observing the sun’s surface, the photosphere, while H-alpha filters observe a higher layer in the sun’s atmosphere, called the chromosphere. In addition, H-alpha observations can reveal filaments called solar prominences. However, H-alpha telescopes are much more expensive than the iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope. Trusted H-alpha brands include Lunt, which sells 40mm, 50mm and 152mm-aperture options.
