Instrument class
Small telescope with a front-mounted white-light solar filter
Any small telescope with a certified solar film filter over the FRONT of the tube — sold as a kit, or a refractor plus a €40 filter. Shows sunspots, the granulation around them, faculae near the limb, and eclipses and transits. Daytime astronomy, which is the only kind some people's lives allow.
| Aperture | 60–90 mm |
|---|---|
| Focal ratio | f/4.5–f/12 |
| Typical weight | 2.5 kg |
| Setup time | 3 minutes |
| Learning curve | 1 out of 5 |
| Price band | €100–300 |
| Useful magnification | 13× to 150× at 75 mm |
What it does well
- Observing in daylight, at a civilised hour, without dark adaptation or cold
- Sunspots change day to day, so there is always something new to compare
- A certified front filter costs less than a single eyepiece and fits an instrument you may already own
What it costs you
- White light shows the photosphere only — no prominences, no flares, no red Sun. That is hydrogen-alpha, and it costs ten times more
- A cheap bundled tripod shakes, and the Sun is bright enough that the shake is very visible
- The filter MUST be front-mounted and certified. Anything that screws into an eyepiece is a way to lose an eye — see the safety notice
Fit against each goal
The Sun · 4 out of 5
Sunspots, granulation, faculae, eclipses and transits — everything the photosphere offers, for the price of a filter.
Sharing it with children · 4 out of 5
Daytime, warm, and a child can see the spots change over a week. Supervise the filter every single time.
Taking it with me · 4 out of 5
Light, small, and the target is up wherever you are.
The Moon and the planets · 2 out of 5
The same small instrument works on the Moon at night with the filter off. The planets are marginal at this aperture.
Learn my way around the sky · 1 out of 5
There is one object. It is not hard to find.
Nebulae, clusters and galaxies, by eye · 0 out of 5
Nothing. This is a daytime instrument.
Models in this class
Indicative European street prices with the date they were observed. Ordered by price. Links marked paid link earn us a commission and cost you nothing extra.
Bresser Solarix 76/350 AZ
€102seen 2026-08-2276 mm · 350 mm focal length · f/4.6 · 2 kg
With a 10 mm eyepiece: 35×, 2.2 mm exit pupil.
Mount Lightweight alt-az on an aluminium tripod; certified front solar filter included
Eyepieces 20 mm and 4 mm
A small Newtonian sold as a solar kit: the front filter is in the box, which is the point. The tripod is the usual budget aluminium and the 4 mm eyepiece is mostly for the Barlow it comes with. Fine for the Sun and the Moon; not for anything fainter.
Where to buy
- Amazon.frships FR
- Astroshopships DE, FR, EU
- First Light Opticsships GB
- Optique Unterlindenships FR
- Pierro Astroships FR
- Teleskop-Expressships DE, EU
None of these links earn us anything.