Explore FirstLight 80mm f/8 Carbon Fiber Refractor Telescope with Sidara Nano Alt-Az Mount and Solar Filter

If the next eclipse is on your calendar, the telescope you buy now should be as ready for the Sun as for the Moon. The Explore FirstLight 80mm f/8 Carbon Fiber Refractor and Sidara Nano package covers both: an 80mm doublet refractor with an over-the-lens solar filter, on a manual alt-azimuth mount with no electronics or power to set up.

Explore Scientific describes the included filter, made with Solarlite film, as professional grade and for safe daytime solar observation: sunspots, partial eclipses and planetary transits. After dark, the fully coated crown-and-flint doublet (640mm, f/8) turns to lunar craters, Saturn's rings, Mars and bright deep-sky objects such as galaxies and nebulae, and the included 25mm Plössl gives 25.6x.

Key Features

• Over-the-lens solar filter made with Solarlite film, which Explore Scientific describes for viewing sunspots, partial eclipses and planetary transits
• 80mm f/8 doublet objective: fully coated crown-and-flint glass with a 640mm focal length
• Rugged, lightweight carbon fiber-look metal tube with a built-in dew shield
• 40mm rack-and-pinion focuser with a 1.25" adapter
• Smartphone and DSLR adapters for imaging (the DSLR adapter needs a T2 ring for your camera, not included)
• Sidara Nano alt-az mount with slow-motion controls, and no electronics or power required
• Red dot viewfinder, 1.25" 90° diagonal and 25mm Plössl eyepiece included

Ideal For

Eclipse travelers who want one compact telescope for the Sun by day and the Moon and planets by night. Beginners looking for a complete package that is ready to observe without configuration. New imagers who want to start with smartphone or DSLR pictures of the Moon and the Sun.

Accessories & Compatibility

The tube rides in a removable clamp-style cradle with a Vixen-style mount adapter, and front and rear dust covers are included. Standard 1.25" eyepieces fit the diagonal when you want more magnification, and downloadable planetarium software is included. Without the solar filter, DSLR adapter and dust covers, the standard FirstLight 80mm package pairs the same optics with the same mount.