All About Space - UK (2020-02)

“ Craters were revealed

beautifully in the light and

shadows in the T800’s

field of view”

craters – Hipparchus, Halley, Klein and Faraday were
revealed beautifully in the light and shadows in
the T800’s field of view. The full multi-coated lens,
along with the BAK4 prism, ensured clear and crisp
views across a very good proportion of the field of
view using the high-quality zoom eyepiece. This is
something that can often disappoint with cheaper
spotting scopes. Operation of the zoom eyepiece
is smooth, similarly with the twist eye cup, which
has very good eye relief for those with or without
glasses. The angled orientation of the spotting
scope made for very comfortable viewing.
When it came to removing the zoom eyepiece,
it did take a degree of effort initially. However,
despite this, we were glad of the secure fit. The
same could be said for when we slotted 1.25”
telescope eyepieces into the spotting scope, and
we appreciated the snugness. With our selection
of astronomical eyepieces we had the option of
increasing the magnification and also obtaining a
wider angle of the field of view, making the spotting
scope ideal for obtaining larger star fields and star
clusters, as well as bright Solar System targets and
bright nebulae.
Leaving the waxing crescent Moon, we slewed
to Jupiter and Venus. In our field of view, we
couldn’t wait to observe the brighter of the pair,
Venus, which shone at a magnitude of -4.4. The
second planet from the Sun appeared as a bright
disc, devoid of any detail, as expected. Since the
target was bright there was a touch of glare around
the object, but otherwise the view was pleasing
enough. Turning our attention to Jupiter, we had

much of the same – an obvious disc with a degree

of glare, yet an otherwise steady and clear view. The

Galilean moons – Io, Ganymede, Europa and Callisto

• could be seen as points of light either side of the
  gas giant. We couldn’t see a great deal of detail on
  the planet, however. Finding our way around the
  night sky was made slightly more difficult without
  a finderscope – something that many beginners to
  astronomy will more than likely find frustrating.
  With clouds beginning to cover the sky,
  we quickly left the planetary conjunction and
  headed over to the open cluster Messier 7 in the
  constellation Scorpius. The member stars popped
  into view as impressive white, clear and crisp points
  of light. Several stars in the cluster appeared to take
  on a slight orange-red colour, which gave the cluster
  a beautiful two-toned appearance.
  The T800 is an ideal instrument for those with
  an interest in both nature and astronomy that’s
  limited to the brighter targets. If you’re solely an
  astronomer or someone who is just learning your
  way around the night sky, then you are better off
  purchasing a pair of binoculars or a telescope that
  comes as a more complete package. However, if
  you’re looking for an instrument that’s easy to carry
  and that compliments your existing kit, then the
  Olivon T800 is certainly worth a look.

Olivon T800

STARGAZER

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Above: The

Olivon T800’s

1.25” eyepiece

holder accepts

astronomical

eyepieces,

making it ideal

for observing

bright night-

sky targets

Left: The

Olivon T800

features a fully

waterproof,

rubber-coated

body to protect

the optics