Ever-increasing light pollution and urban sprawl have prompted many of us to seek darker skies to put our equipment to better use.
With several dark-sky sites accessible from where we live, we were excited to receive the Starpoint Australis Octans portable observatory for testing.
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Unboxing and setting up
The Octans is the larger of two models in the Starpoint Australis range and our review package included the optional ground mat and windshield accessories.
The whole kit weighs in at less than 32kg and is more than portable when you consider the size of the finished product.
Everything is packed neatly away in strong and durable carry bags.
As soon as we started unpacking the bags, we liked what we saw.
The quality of the materials, combined with the (almost over-engineered) design, is immediately apparent – and exactly what we were looking for to protect expensive astronomy gear.
There are no written instructions; instead, an informative and easy-to-follow video tutorial on YouTube demonstrates the assembly process.
Watching this, we got a strong sense of the passion and commitment that has gone into the design of the Octans, and were reassured to find out that it’s a product that’s been designed for astronomers by fellow astronomers.
Building the Starpoint Australis Octans portable observatory
As indicated by the name, the Starpoint Australis Octans portable observatory is eight-sided, measuring 3.5 metres between each side.
Building the observatory is actually rather intuitive once you get started, the key advice from the video being to follow the seams and make a hashtag shape with the poles.
This makes perfect sense when you have everything laid out on the ground.
At a relaxed pace, it took our two-person team about 90 minutes to assemble the whole observatory, watching the step-by-step tutorial as we went along, and pausing after each step.
It should be much quicker with experience. We were working with stiff and new fabric, which was much easier to use the second time around.
Starpoint Australis reckons around 20–25 minutes is enough time for one person to assemble it, or to pack it away again, which we think is reasonable after the first couple of attempts.
How it looks
Once erected, we found that the clever crossed poles arrangement produced a very sturdy structure, with everything held in place by glow-in-the-dark screw-in pegs that come complete with a magnetic drill bit.
We’ve had numerous close-call experiences on remote and windy sites over the years that led to our equipment being compromised, but the Starpoint Australis Octans portable observatory's rigidity left us confident that it could deflect whatever the weather throws at it.
The top cover attaches with large Velcro pads that are held down by guy ropes.
This can be flat or domed if the weather is inclement, to leave no areas for rainwater to pool.
Waterproof and windproof?
Starpoint Australis claims the material is not 100% waterproof, which worried us at first, but we gave it a good soaking with a watering can and were reassured when the polyurethane-coated 420D polyester material just shrugged the water away.
The sides stand at 1.6 metres high. The cleverly designed windshield is quickly assembled and adds another metre to the height.
It attaches to the base via a Velcro ring and is supported by four adjustable lightweight poles.
This can be rapidly raised or lowered on any side to protect the equipment and occupants from the prevailing wind direction.
Inside the observatory with the shield raised, we immediately realised how useful it would be at busy star parties.
We were completely cocooned, impervious to the flashing head torches, accidental white-light events and blinking LEDs on astrophotography rigs, making it much easier for us to keep our eyes dark adapted.
With an imaging setup inside the observatory, nearby astronomers would also be protected from glaring laptop screens, allowing both disciplines to peacefully co-exist.
The Starpoint Australis Octans portable observatory provides the perfect haven from the elements, allowing observers and astrophotographers alike to safely employ their telescopes away from home under darker skies.
Is it big enough?
The usable area inside the Octans observatory is simply huge.
With our bulky 18-inch f/4 Dobsonian telescope and observing stool set up in the centre, there was still ample room to move around, have a table for star maps or eyepieces, and even an observing companion or two.
This large, protected area makes for a very comfortable and sheltered observing experience.
There’s no sense of being cramped when moving inside or any need to crouch or scramble around on hands and knees, as the walls don’t encroach into the viewing area.
The circular aperture to the sky is over 2.6 metres in diameter and, given the generous amount of space we had to swing our large Dobsonian around, the Octans could easily accommodate a larger astrophotography setup.
We’d estimate an EQ8 mount supporting a 12-inch Newtonian, or even two smaller mounts side by side, would still leave room for a chair and a laptop table.
There’s no dedicated power cable entry point though, so any on-site electric hook-up would need to pass through one of the doors.
Starpoint Australis Octans portable observatory best features
Colour-coded poles
The aluminium poles provide a sturdy, flexible frame. They are colour coded for easy identification: the thicker blue poles produce the main shape, while orange and blue poles form the rings around the top of the base and the windshield. Finally, twin orange poles produce an arched frame to keep the rain out.
High-quality components
From the aluminium guy rope tensioners, glow-in-the-dark ground screw pegs and large, sturdy packing bags to the precisely machined and anodised poles and storm-proof door zips, we were impressed by the high quality and thoughtful attention to detail that has gone into the design and functionality of the observatory’s features.
Twin entry doors
There are two doors on opposite sides, both with mesh inner panels. They are 900mm wide and 1,300mm high, which we found useful when moving large and heavy equipment into the observatory. The zips are chunky and smooth in operation, perfect for cold fingers at the end of a session.
Weather-resistant materials
The exterior of the observatory is silvered, while the inside is all black. The reflective silver coating helps to keep unwanted heat out during the daytime and stray light out at night. Even in bright sunshine, the interior remains very dark, so sleeping through the daytime after an all-night session is possible.
Ground mat
The floor of the observatory is constructed from thick PVC canvas. This can be further protected with the matching ground mat accessory, which is the same material. It has strong sewn-in fabric loops at the corners, each one with twin metal D rings for pegging it down securely.
Key specs
- Price: £849 with windshield and ground mat
- Style: Portable observatory with removable roof
- Footprint size: 3.5m2
- Height: 1.6m, up to 2.6m with windshield
- Materials: Aluminium poles, polyester 420D main canvas, PVC floor
- Aperture: 2.68m diameter
- Weight: Observatory 19.2kg; windshield and ground mat 6kg each
- Supplier: Widescreen Centre
- Tel: 01353 776199
- www.widescreen-centre.co.uk
This review appeared in the July 2025 issue of BBC Sky at Night Magazine
