All About Space - UK (2020-02)

Thespottingscopeisaninstrumentthat’snot

verywellassociatedwithstargazing– itismost

commonlyusedbytheavidnaturewatcherwho

takesgreatdelightinobservingbirdsandother

formsofwildlife.Givenourexperiencewiththe

T800though,wefoundittobeanidealcompanion

forobservingthenightsky,inparticulartheMoon

andnotablestarclusters,includingthefineglobular

clusterMessier7 intheconstellationofScorpius,

closetothe‘stinger’oftheScorpion.

Takingthespottingscopeoutofitsbox,we

admiredthecarethathadbeenputintopackaging

it:theboxissturdyandthereisplentyinthe

wayofpaddingtoensurethattheinstrumentis

sufficientlyprotected.TheT800comeswitha

protectivecaseaswellasa 20-60xzoomeyepiece.

Inordertogeta steadyview,you’llneeda suitable

tripod,somethingthatunfortunatelyneedstobe

purchasedseparately.Ifyoudonotowna tripod

thenwestronglyrecommendthatyoupurchase

theT800eitherwitha TR150-10tripodincludedin

thepackage(£419.99/$535.34)orcompletewitha

TR154-11tripod(£489.99/$624.49).

With its sturdy outer armour combined with nitrogen gas-filled optics, this

spotting scope isideal for observing whilestaying protected from dew

Olivon T800

STARGAZER

Telescope

advice

Cost:£379.99($484.40)

From:OpticalHardwareLtd

Type:Spottingscope

Aperture:3.15”

Focallength:18.9”

Best for...

Intermediate

£ Smallbudgets

Planetaryviewing

Lunarviewing

Deep-skyobjects

The spotting scope has a very versatile 1.25”

eyepiece holder that makes it ideal for use with

astronomical eyepieces. The T800 has been

manufactured to be waterproof, allowing nature

lovers to watch wildlife in a variety of conditions,

and features a fully waterproof, rubber-coated body

to protect the aluminium body and optics. For that

added security there is also nitrogen fog-proofing

inside the armour. Astronomers know all too well

about the condensation and dew that a change

in temperature can cause observations and the

damage to the coating on the objective lens and

optical system if it isn’t removed carefully. The

T800, despite its body armour, is also quite light.

During our review, we were treated to the show

that June’s planets put on at dusk: Venus and

Jupiter were in the process of drawing ever closer

together and a waxing crescent Moon wasn’t too

far behind them in the western sky. The sight was

spectacular to the unaided eye, but we were keen

to test the T800’s mettle on these objects. Starting

at the Moon, we took advantage of the terminator,

which played up several of the lunar surface’s

Left: A 20-60x

zoom eyepiece

and a protective

case are supplied

with the spotting

scope, but other

required pieces

of kit must be

bought separately

The optical

system features a

BAK4 prism and a

multi-coated lens

for clear and crisp

views. However,

we did receive a

degree of glare

when observing

bright targets