Explore Scientific ED80 Essential Series Air-Spaced Triplet Apochromatic Refractor Telescope

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The Telescope That Makes Astrophotographers Fall in Love With the Night Sky

From the Astronomy Magazine April, 2017 Review:

…“Then I really went nuts. Or so I thought. I switched to a 3.2mm planetary eyepiece that upped the magnification to 150x, which approached the theoretical upper limit for a 3-inch. When I gazed into the eyepiece, the four members of the Double Double showed surprisingly well, leaving me to wonder what this scope might do on a night of optimal seeing conditions. I have no doubt the ED80 can achieve its advertised resolving limit of 1.45”…. Small and portable, it’s an ideal grab-and-go telescope. It’s also extremely versatile, able to capture wide-field views spanning several degrees while also providing the high power punch to tease out lunar and planetary detail and split close double stars…"

From the moment that first exposure of the Orion Nebula appeared on the camera screen, people are in love. That's not marketing — that's what real ED80 owners say, consistently, all over the internet. And it makes sense. Because the Explore Scientific ED80 Essential Series is that rare thing: a telescope that delivers genuinely premium optics at a price that doesn't make you question your life choices.

What makes it different from other telescopes at this price?

Here's the thing most beginner telescope descriptions won't tell you — there's a big difference between a doublet refractor and a triplet apochromatic refractor. The AR102 and AR127 we also stock here at Astronomy Haven are beautiful achromatic doublets — wonderful visual scopes, honest value, lovely to observe through. But they use two lens elements, and on very bright objects you'll sometimes see a faint colour fringe.

The ED80 uses three lens elements — hence "triplet" — made with genuine HOYA FCD1 extra-low dispersion glass from Japan, combined with Explore Scientific's proprietary EMD multi-layer coatings. This air-spaced triplet design virtually eliminates chromatic aberration for sharp, true-colour images. What you see through this scope is what's actually there — crisp, high-contrast, colour-accurate. It's a genuinely different viewing experience, and once you've seen it you'll understand why people get so evangelical about APO refractors.

What will you actually see through it?

The ED80 is extremely versatile — able to capture wide-field views spanning several degrees while also providing the high power punch to tease out lunar and planetary detail and split close double stars. The Moon is extraordinary — shadow detail so sharp it feels three-dimensional. Saturn's rings at medium power will make you put down your phone and just stare. The Andromeda Galaxy, the Orion Nebula, the North America Nebula — all breathtaking in wide-field views. The ED80's wide field of view makes it an excellent telescope for sweeping the Milky Way, hunting down bright comets, or framing large deep-sky objects like the Pleiades. 

And if you decide to point a camera at the sky? The 480mm focal length seems to be the sweet spot for capturing large, wide-field views of nebulae and large galaxies. 

Why choose the Explore Scientific ED80 Essential Series Air-Spaced Triplet Apochromatic Refractor Telescope?

1. It's genuinely affordable for a true apochromatic triplet 
This is as good as it gets for any 80mm APO refractor — delivering a lot of performance for its affordable price, a definite step up from other brands in terms of performance. A comparable APO triplet from other premium brands can cost significantly more. The ED80 Essential brings true APO optics within reach of real people with real budgets — and that's something we're genuinely proud to stock at Astronomy Haven.

2. It's light enough to actually take everywhere 
With its 480mm focal length and retractable dew shield, this highly portable refractor is perfect for spontaneous stargazing sessions. At just 5.95 lbs with a tube only 15 inches long without the dew shield, this fits in a backpack. Seriously — people travel internationally with this scope.

3. It's a proper astrophotography telescope 
On Cloudy Nights, the ED80 is frequently praised as one of the best values in the small-aperture APO category — users note its sharp optics, well-corrected colour, and robust mechanical construction, especially given its approachable price point. 

4. It doubles as a guide scope
Small enough to mount as a guide scope yet powerful enough for deep-sky imaging — meaning as your setup grows and you add a larger imaging telescope, the ED80 earns a second life riding on top as your guiding scope. Two telescopes for the price of one, essentially.

5. Free lifetime collimation service. 
Explore Scientific offer free lifetime collimation service for this telescope should it ever need it — shipping is at the owner's expense, but they'll do the work for free. That's a genuinely sweet deal at any price point.

6. Register within 60 days for the lifetime warranty 
One year standard, converting to a transferable life-of-product warranty on registration. At this price, that kind of after-purchase confidence is rare

One thing to know before you buy

The focuser on the Essential Series is a 2" rack-and-pinion design — functional and solid, but it has a very "spongy" feel and is not as responsive as you might like. You'll need to tweak the knob back and forth to get perfect focus, as there's a delayed response to your action.  It's not a dealbreaker — once locked into place it holds focus reliably all session — but it's worth knowing upfront, especially if you're coming from a dual-speed Crayford. The fine-tuning knob helps a lot here.

Also worth noting: for visual use you'll want to invest in quality eyepieces to truly realise the optics' potential — the included accessories are solid, but your views will genuinely improve with good glass at the eyepiece end.

Not sure where to start? The Astronomy Haven team is always happy to recommend a first eyepiece kit that won't break the bank. 🌙

What's in the box?

• Explore Scientific ED80 Essential Series optical tube assembly x1
• 2" rack-and-pinion focuser with 2 extension tubes x1
• 99% reflective 2" dielectric diagonal with 1.25" adapter x1
• Hybrid finder scope base (finder scope not included — ask us at Astronomy Haven for recommendations) x1
• Vixen-style dovetail plate x1

⚠️ Mount, tripod and finder scope sold separately. Planning to do astrophotography? You'll also want a field flattener — ask us and we'll help you put the right kit together.

Recommended Accessories

• Astrozap 3” Dew Heater Strap

Who is this perfect for?

• A beginner ready to take their first real steps into astrophotography without spending serious APO money
• A visual observer who wants colour-accurate, truly sharp views without any chromatic fringing
• Someone who wants one scope that does everything — visual observing, deep-sky imaging, and eventually guiding
• No matter where your astronomy interests take you, this is one scope that will be right at home in your collection — even if you end up with a larger scope in the future, you'll never want to part with this refractor because of its simplicity and convenience

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