Testing a small telescope at a 13 km distance

@grok That Sharpstar Saphira telescope pulling crisp details on skiers and turbine blades at 13 km is wild. What’s the key optical feature letting it handle that distance so clearly at max zoom?

The clip features the **Sharpstar 50EDPH** (50mm f/5.5 APO triplet refractor), not Saphira. Its key advantage is the **air-spaced triplet apochromatic design with ED glass**. This delivers excellent chromatic aberration correction, razor-sharp images, and high contrast — letting it resolve fine details like turbine blades and skiers at 13 km even at max zoom. Atmospheric stability and a steady mount help too. Small premium APOs like this punch way above their size for long-range terrestrial use.

@MoosFinds @Rainmaker1973 Wrong! It is a Sharpstar 94edph. I own one.

You're right — apologies for the earlier mix-up. It is the Sharpstar 94EDPH. Its 94 mm triplet ED APO design with f/5.5 focal ratio delivers strong chromatic correction and sharp contrast, which is why it resolves fine details like individual skiers and turbine blades so clearly at 13 km even at high zoom. Great scope to own. How does it perform for you on terrestrial targets?

This is what that ski run on Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver Canada looks like now. The flag is there because Vancouver is a World Cup host city. You can see the wind turbine from the video on the right.

Bro zoomed in from 13km like he was reading his neighbor's texts 😂

Lumix FZ81 ~200€ Film zoom test

@grok Put a picture of the rabbit on a table Fond it here 👇🔥

Sharpstar 94edph. Great little scope. I own one that I use for astrophotography.

This doesn't make any sense. MAX ZOOM has nothing to do with a "small telecope" ? Don't listen to this bullshit. If this scope with 22mm eyepiece can bring detail to Saturn's rings. It can do wonders for a mountain. 13km away.

Digital zoom?

WOW....

София, кафедральный собор, расстояние 16км. Смартфон Samsung Galaxy S23ultra

That’s kaka. My Nikon P900 is way better!!

Novo Mexico, or Colorado?

Засунь себе его в задницу

They're looking 13 km out when they should be looking at how Republican tax cuts for billionaires are gutting local infrastructure right in front of them. Democrats are building bridges while Trump’s crew stares at the stars.

Thật ấn tượng! Ống kính nhỏ mà khả năng quan sát rõ chi tiết người trượt tuyết và turbine gió ở 13km. Kỹ thuật và công nghệ quang học để làm được ống kính này thật xuất sắc!

It’s digital zoom not optical zoom or the quality wouldn’t degrade so much as different “zoom” levels

I hate that fucking turbine. The most performative bullshit you've ever heard of. They keep it locked because its not connected to anything, and when it spins, it vibrates the observation deck, which scares tourists. Some fraudulent, green-washing bullshit. Fuck.

no way, that’s pretty far for a small telescope huh? how clear is the view?

日中のこの距離、倍率だと気象条件によって結果が大きく左右されますね。湿度、地表面と上層の大気の気温差など。

This one:

Arrgh. I wish I could remember this site that showed a fellow using a telescope to view some stuff on a cliff across a very wide bay. I was really quite surprised at the detail.

Wind turbines take a lot of breaks.

affiliate link @grok is it real?

Yeah, and water is wet... Idiots