FIRST light
not lost by bouncing off reflective internal surfaces inside the tube.
The telescope shipped with a customised 50mm Vixen finder, which also delivered sharp images. It possesses an extra-long dew shield, and its large knurled thumbscrews made it very easy to align the finder with the telescope tube and make fine adjustment even with cold hands. The finderscope mounting brackets are reassuringly solid and screw directly to the mounting rings on the tube. The finder bracket is not removable, however, so care must be taken when transporting the instrument. One particularly nice feature is the ability to move between a single eyepiece and a binoviewer without the need for additional lenses or adaptors.
Using our own star diagonal and 26mm eyepiece we aimed at the Pleiades open cluster in Taurus: the stars were pin sharp across 95 per cent of the field of view. Moving to Vega in Lyra, we were impressed by a crisp, well-defined image that yielded extremely little false colour fringing. We tried increasing the magnification with a 3-6mm Televue Nagler zoom eyepiece, which delivered a tight, wellresolved star and airy disc. Taking Vega slightly in and out of focus revealed even concentric rings, showing a good alignment of the lens elements.
Moving over to the double star Alberio in Cygnus, we were greeted with a beautiful contrast of blue and gold. The colour rendition was superb even though the Moon was casting a bright glare at the time of review. And although the Moon was indeed very bright, the telescope was still able to deliver an exceptionally detailed view of the lunar surface, with a good tonal range even in the less than ideal observing conditions.
The Nebula Class refractor is certainly an observer’s instrument through and through. Its unique styling helps showcase a beautifully tactile and practical instrument. Hand made to a very high standard, the design would not look out of place on the set of a 1950s sci-fi movie, yet it also manages to look modern at the same time. Daring to be different always carries a degree of risk, and while the Moonraker’s appearance may not be to everyone’s taste, this telescope is a great example of British design and practical craftsmanship.