Let customers speak for us
Recently got the phoenix observatory, starpoint was nothing but a pleasure to deal with, setting it up was easy with no issues
After years of searching we finally found something cost effective and easy to use to make star gazing more pleasant by protecting people and equipment from the weather. What a great product!😎👍
For years. I was looking at astronomy tents and dyi semi or permanent solutions for my observing. We all know the problems with wind , rain , lights and the sun not just for the telescope but for the gear too.
Enter the octans.
This thing is a beast , a high quality build to last piece of gear.
Along with a Nikon HW 12.5 and my Glater colimattion tools this is
the best buy i’ve ever made for my hobby and prise wise only a bit
north of the Nikon ( at least for Europe ).
Excellent customer support from both Starpoint and Widescreen in
UK.
Awesome observatory. The quality is absolutely amazing. Ive seen posts about other"lesser" TENTS that are cheaper on amazon. Let me tell you...you get what you pay for. This is not a tent. It is an observatory. The materials are all top notch and will not rip or tear...the ground screws are genius and even the carry bag seems indestructible. Whats really cool is the bag is very oversized so you arent struggling to get everything back in upon takedown. Why i even have another tent and some other gear in there with it. Everything about this product is well thought out, well executed and built with the best materials...great job
As someone who's done a lot of camping with my telescope and used more than one astro-tent over the years, I can say that the Starpoint Australis Phoenix is by far the most functional. It is made of very high-quality materials and the features and attention to detail for the basic tent and the wind screen are top notch.
My only complaint is the difficulty in inserting the long tent pole around the top circumference of the tent (less so for the wind screen). It may be that this will get easier over time as the materials stretch or I perhaps I'm just low on the learning curve (I've only set it up once, so far). Either way, I am looking forward to using this for what I expect will be a long time.
Victor
p.s. The official Starpoint Australis set-up tutorial video on YouTube was an excellent help.
I have two videos on You Tube about my experience with the Phoenix:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbKTL8fA-dg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qvgJVzAgbY
which best describes my reaction to using the Phoenix. It is well made and does the job for which it was designed. Setup isn't so straight forward but it can be done and once set up it is very rigid.
The Octans lives up to its claims. I've found it to cancel both 20 mph winds and neighborhood lights - making observing much more productive. It's very well built too, featuring high quality materials and craftsmanship.
Got this as a temporary shed and it works perfectly for my needs
Timely arrival, great design, strong materials and solid manufacture. Still too cold to put it up (-23C).
I have been after a portable observatory for about 2 years now, after I've gone through 3 gazebos as my back yard is like a wind tunnel.
Takes me about 20 minutes to put up, 40mins the first time whilst watching a tutorial, the fabric is strong and thick not like some out there where the material seems to be made from a beach tent.
The wind breaker is a must for me with my 10ich Newtonian, with a gazebo the tracking was at 1.2, now with this it's between 60-80, no more star trails, yay.For the amount we spend on our equipment this is a must have, to keep it safe .
I've used this beast as a temporary backyard observatory while building my permanent one, and it has withstood all weather conditions in my area. Ultra spacious and easy to set up. Out in the open, at our dark site, it has provided protection during the night from strong winds and during the day as well with the roof canopy. I would highly recommend this kit !
The Octans tent is very spacious with room for two large mounts and telescopes along with a computer desk. It is made of a thicker material than a standard tent and has a built-in floor with no holes or places for bugs or water to get in.
The content is very easy to set up and all of it folds down into a 4 foot long bag that comes with it.
I highly recommend this for astronomical uses when you can’t build a permanent observatory
I have been in the market for a portable observatory for almost 2 years, at the local astronomy clubs I got to see some of the ones purchased and the quality was just not present. This product leaves all the others in its wake, seriously a different level of product and I am impressed, it got to 41c today and was amazed how well the silver reflects the heat. Well done team and congratulations on being a world leader from Australia in both quality and price point.
The Phoenix observatory came in three boxes. First box contained the tent, the second box contained the mat, and the third box contained the light/wind shield. I am very impressed with the excellent engineering that went into the design and the manufacturing of the tent. The tent material is thick and made of high-quality that should stand up to use for years. The tent mat is very thick and durable. The light/wind shield is well thought out, easy to use, and does effectively block neighbors outdoor flood lights. All the components are very well made. The color-coded aluminum poles and fabric are of good quality, the screw tent pegs are a great idea and much easier than using stakes and a hammer, and the quick connect “s” carabiner connectors make it easy to connect the tent to the ground mat. The individual nicely made zipper bags, to store each of the individual components separately, is a great idea. The instructional video on how to set up the tent is very informative and really helped in setting up the observatory tent. My 5-inch refractor telescope with equatorial mount, on a field tripod, fits nicely in the tent with room to walk around the telescope and tripod. Since the tent has been set up, it has been subjected to 40 miles per hour wind gusts and was not affected in any way. I am very pleased with my purchase of the Phoenix Observatory tent, it is well made and very sturdy, and I enjoy using it. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a portable observatory.
Specifications
Protection from the elements
Capture the Cosmos with Stability
Built to Last
Travel-Ready Design
See the Octans Observatory in action
Have a Question? We Have Answers
Why Others Love Us
Since I am not in a position to have a permanent observatory at my home, I opted for the Starpoint Australis (SA) Phoenix Portable Observatory. My house is surrounded by tree so I must often move my setup to different parts of my yard to take full advantage of getting the most time on a target. A portable observatory seemed the right choice to me.
I received my Phoenix observatory in March of 2026. I have set up the observatory approximately 20 times since then and I have used it well over 40 nights to date and here's what I have learned.
1st, make sure you watch Brandan's set up and tear down You Tube instructional videos several times. they are excellent! The instructions are clear and easy to follow and make set up much easier. Thank you, Brandan, and crew for putting up with all the flies!
2nd don't be in a rush to set up the observatory. I had set up the observatory many times and got careless. I was rushing to get it set up and I put one of the support poles, which are very well made and easy to use, in the wrong pocket. It took me about 20 minutes of fooling around to discover my mistake. Once I placed to support pole in the correct pocket the observatory went up easily.
The first time I wanted to set up the Phoenix the ground was frozen hard (I live in far northern Minnesota, USA) I contacted the company about using the tent stakes in the frozen ground and they assured me that the stakes were designed to handle very hard ground, which they did very well.
The hardest part of the whole set up process for me is getting the long pole installed around the top of the observatory. I found it difficult at first but after setting it up several times it has become easier for me.
The windscreen is a must in my opinion! It is very versatile when dealing with blocking the wind. I have gained many more nights of imaging because the wind can't get to my telescope. I am also keeping more subs each night too.
One of my concerns was getting in and out of the Phoenix. I'm not a small guy, 6 foot 2 inches, 250 pounds, but I find entering and exiting the observatory is fairly easy, even at 70+ years of age.
I find the inside of the Phoenix to be roomy enough for me and my setup, which is a Sky Watcher EQ6R-Pro mount with a Celestron Edge HD 8-inch OTA.
I love that the observatory come with a "roof" which allows me to leave everything set up inside for the next night's imaging while protecting my equipment from the weather.
I am very impressed with the quality of the observatory and the well thought out design.
The storage bags for the different components of the observatory are well made and large enough to easily hold the parts that belong in them.
SA has been excellent with communications, answering my questions prior to purchasing the observatory, during the ordering process and afterwards. I am very impressed with their customer care.
The bottom line is that if something were to happen to my Phoenix observatory, I would order another one to replace it, I like it that much!
Rigged up down yesterday for, here in Melbourne, for the first time. After sorting out some little issues with Brandon (Thanks, Brandon!) I had it up in my front yard just for testing it. The neighborhood got excited to know what it is, and I ended up setting up my 8"Newtonian-EQ6 and letting the folks and kids to enjoy the waxing crescent Moon, Jupiter with its 4 large moons, and the double Rigel Kent. Great product, excellent quality, personal support, ALL GOOD.
(The image shows the Octans before installing the wind shield.)
Great to hear Jorge that your up and running and that the whole neighbourhood got to enjoy our amazing night skies!
Easy to setup and very solid. Used it over 3 nights so far and it’s done exactly what it’s supposed to very happy.
These astronomy tents are top shelf. Heavy duty, well made, and well thought out. I have both octans and phenix. Very weather resistant and sturdy. Withstood 50 mph winds in the fall and then withstood 5ft of snow this winter without so much as a drop of water in it. Customer service is great and you wont find nicer people than Brendan and Jess to deal with
I have not had a chance to set up yet due to weather, but I have reviewed the design and quality and it's outstanding. Their customer service is also excellent.
The over dimensions are perfect for my daughter and I for our telescopes.