One model, judged by its numbers
Bresser Solarix 76/350 AZ
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.
Family · Small telescope with a front-mounted white-light solar filter
What it shows, really
These circles are simulations, computed from the aperture, the magnification and the sky — indicative, not exact. A real night also depends on the turbulence, your eyes and your experience. Closer to the truth than the photo on the box; still not a promise.
Under a suburban sky (Bortle 6), through a common 25 mm eyepiece for wide targets and a 10 mm for planets. Every circle is the true field — nothing is enlarged.
The numbers
| Aperture | 76 mm |
|---|---|
| Focal ratio | 350 mm · f/4.6 |
| Mount | Lightweight alt-az on an aluminium tripod; certified front solar filter included |
| Typical weight | 2 kg |
| Eyepieces | 20 mm and 4 mm |
| Useful magnification | 13× to 152× at 76 mm |
| Resolution (Dawes) | 1.5″ — the tightest double star this aperture can split |
| Faintest star, suburban sky | around magnitude 10.7 |
| Observed price | €102 seen 2026-08-22 |
Made for
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.
Not made for
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.
The family it belongs to: Small telescope with a front-mounted white-light solar filter
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
Worth knowing about this model
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.
Everything about Small telescope with a front-mounted white-light solar filter →
Prices are observed on the date shown, never live. Links marked paid link earn us a commission and cost you nothing extra.
Where to buy
- Astroshoppaid link€102 seen 2026-08-23ships DE, FR, EU
- Amazon.frships FR
- First Light Opticsships GB
- Optique Unterlindenships FR
- Pierro Astroships FR
- Teleskop-Expressships DE, EU
1 of these 6 links earn us a commission, marked above. Sorted by price, never by what pays. How this site is funded.