iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope review

Although it is marketed as a white-light solar telescope, the iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope is really a nighttime scope (which can be purchased on its own) alongside a detachable solar filter from Thousand Oaks. This may be a perk for users who don't own a telescope and want to purchase a kit that's ready for both solar and lunar viewing. However, it's likely not of interest to anyone who already has a larger scope.

The telescope is lightweight with a streamlined design, and two handy eyepieces are included. The smaller aperture of the telescope — 2.4-inches (60mm) with the solar filter attached and 3.1-inches (80mm) without the solar filter — makes this telescope more suitable for beginners. And, the price is reasonable for this audience.

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's bright blue, with a clear iOptron logo at the end of the telescope. At the base of the telescope, there is a rack-and-pinion focus with a 1.25-inch (32mm) eyepiece slot. The lack of a finder scope and the eyepiece opening at the very end of the scope give it a sleek and streamlined look. The kit also includes a 45-degree erect glass prism, allowing for easier viewing of high-altitude objects. Simple 0.35-inch (9mm) and 1-inch (25mm) eyepieces are also included.

A unique selling point of this telescope is the featured SolarLite solar filter from Thousand Oaks. The filter has a simple design, mounting onto the end of the telescope with three screws. The solar filter has an aperture of only 2.4 inches (60mm), which decreases the usable aperture size from the 3.1-inch (80mm) telescope measurement. Thousand Oaks is a trustworthy producer of solar filters, so you can have peace of mind that the filter is safe.

The iOptron 80mm was designed primarily as a night-sky telescope, which is apparent from the safety label with a warning against its use for solar observations. This label is somewhat helpful, to remind you to attach the solar filter before pointing at the sun. However, it might be confusing for customers who purchased the telescope-solar-filter package especially for solar viewing. Rest assured: With the solar filter attached, solar viewing is safe.

The cosmetic finishes on the telescope are not high-quality. The plastic rack-and-pinion focus has small, white discs to hide the screws underneath, yet one popped out during 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 website, two reviews independently mention the issues with the focus knob that I also found during my testing:

"A good basic refractor telescope. Useful for terrestrial daytime viewing and wide field viewing of moon, and large objects like comets. However, cheap plastic focusing housing causes image shift making astrophotography difficult. (4/5)"

"The view through the iOptron 80 is good, but there is a problem with focusing. When you turn the knob to focus, the object moves from side to side depending upon which way the knob is turned. Sometimes it can move completely out of view. You can see the eyepiece holder move side to side as you turn the knob back and forth. (3/5)"

Should you buy the iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope?

The iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope is a decent purchase if you do not already own a telescope and want to buy something versatile for both solar and lunar astronomy. It has a small aperture, but it's easy to set up, making it suitable for beginners.

If you already own a regular (nonsolar) telescope, it is probably better to purchase a solar filter directly for the scope you already own. This will save you money and may provide you with a larger aperture than the 60mm solar filter included with the iOptron 80mm White Light Solar Scope. Thousand Oaks, the company that makes the solar filter included with this product, also sells solar filters for other 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.