Telescope Mounts

Mounts are invaluable, in not only taking the weight of the telescope - for even the lightest device can become heavy and cumbersome after a few hours - but in positioning the telescope and keeping it steady.

By mounting telescopes, the instrument can remain fixed on a set position in the sky. This also frees up your hands, so you can keep records and more easily adjust the telescope when focusing on a new object.

There are two differing types of telescope mounts. The Alt-Azimuth enables you to alter the vertical (altitude) and horizontal (azimuth) axes to locate an object in the sky, but is otherwise similar to a camera tripod.

There are two kinds of the Alt-Azimuth mounts. The Ball and Socket mount which allows for movement in all directions. And the Rocker Box, which is made of plywood and consists of a horizontal circular base and Teflon ball bearings that act as the altitude axis. These have a low center of gravity and are excellent for heavier telescopes.

The second type of mount, the Equatorial, uses two axes, which line up with the poles to track an object through the night sky. The axes can be either right ascension, polar or declination depending on the object you are trying to track. The axes of equatorial mounts are towards the Earth’s axis of rotation and thus can follow a fixed object across the sky as long as it is lined up properly.

Again there are two styles of this type of mount. The German equatorial mount, which is shaped like a T with the longer axis of the T lined up with the pole. And then there is the fork mount, which as its name suggests, is shaped like a fork, again lined up with the earth's pole with one axis being the base of the fork and the prongs the other.

If you are planning to take a lot of photos through your telescope, Equatorial mounts for telescope are excellent for taking pictures, as they allow for long exposures.

News About Telescope Mounts

Stuff.co.nz

Clear skies of the Mackenzie Country Stuff.co.nz New Zealand's largest telescope is also on Mount John. It was locally designed but built in Nagoya, Japan, utilising a Russian-made 1.8-metre reflector. ... and more »

Transworld Snowboarding.com

Shredding Hawai'i Transworld Snowboarding.com We laid down and before we knew it, we were all asleep, right next to this giant telescope. By the time Elena woke us, the light was nearly gone. ...

This Week's Sky at a Glance Sky & Telescope Can a computerized telescope take their place? I don't think so — not for beginners, anyway (and especially not on mounts that are less than top-quality ... and more »

New York Times

WE Gordon, Creator of Link to Deep Space, Dies at 92 New York Times Tomas van Houtryve/AP The telescope at the Arecibo Observatory, Earth's ear to outer space, has been used to make scores of landmark discoveries. ... and more »

Christian Science Monitor

Airborne laser shoots down missile in mid-flight Christian Science Monitor This airborne laser mounts to the front of a special military 747 jumbo jet. The system successfully shot down a test missile Thursday night. ... and more »

Astronomy announces 2009 Out-of-this-World Award winner! Astronomy Magazine Thanks in part to the Out-of-this-World Award, AOS can afford a new telescope mount and keep the public enthralled with the stars. Linda Prince [View Larger ...

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