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Telescope mounts: Important accessories for your instrument

If you're serious about exploring the night-sky, telescope mounts are critical pieces of equipment. Telescope mounts secure the device and allow you to aim and adjust it. The whole time you're observing, the Earth is rotating. This means that whatever you're seeing in the eyepiece will eventually drift off center in the scope unless you adjust it to compensate. The mount allows you to do this.

There are 2 types of telescope mounts: alt-azimuth and equatorial. Simple and easy to use, the alt-azimuth mount rotates vertically and horizontally along two axes. When you see something in the sky you want to look at more closely, rotate the telescope along the horizon until the object is lined up vertically with the telescope's lens but below it. Then tilt the instrument up vertically until the object comes into view. The horizontal axis is called the azimuth and the vertical axis is called the alt or altitude. There are 2 versions of alt-azimuth mounts: ball-and-socket and rocker box. The ball-and-socket type has a ball end that fits into a spherical socket, allowing the telescope to rotate in virtually any direction, up, down, and across. The rocker box is horizontal circular base for the azimuth axis with bearings for the altitude axis.

Among telescope mounts, the equatorial type has two axes of rotation called right ascension and declination. These axes are not oriented vertically and horizontally. Instead, the mount is tilted at the same angle as the axis of rotation of the earth. The equatorial mount has 2 variations: German and fork. In the T-shaped German mount, vertical part of the T matches up with the Earth's pole. In the fork mount, there is a wedge lined up with the Earth's pole. A two-pronged fork is fixed to the wedge. The prongs of the fork identify one axis of rotation and the base of the fork identifies the other.

Which of the telescope mounts is better? The equatorial is superior because it allows the telescope to track in an arc similar to the arc-like motion of objects in the sky. The alt-azimuth uses a zigzag up and down motion while the motion of the equatorial mount describes a smooth arc. And if you add a motorized drive to an equatorial mount, following objects in the sky will be effortless.

To learn more about telescope mounts, click on of the links below for more information, descriptions and specifications.

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About The Author:

Rita Liotta is a successful author and publisher at www.1st-at-binoculars.com.  Recommending binoculars, telescopes, rifle scopes, night vision, spotting scopes, laser sights, range finders & night vision goggles. 20-05-04