When it comes to telescopes, the aperture is the most important factor. But even if you have the biggest aperture and the mount of your telescope is not good, then you will not get excellent results from your telescope. If you want great results, then a sturdy & stable mount will definitely improve your overall stargazing experience. So, having a good sturdy mount that can move smoothly without any vibrations to guide your telescope to the targeted object is ideal.
Types of telescope mounts.
If you are thinking of buying a telescope mount then you will come across so many different types of telescope mounts. Choosing from all the different types of mounts available on the market can be overwhelming. So in this article, we will look into all the main types of telescope mounts which are commonly used.
Basically, there are two main types of mounts, one is Alt-Azimuth mount and the second is Equatorial mount. But in this article, we will see five different types of mounts which come under one of these types of mount. All these mounts come in computerized and manual types as well.
The Alt-Azimuth mount.
This is the most basic type of mount. Compared to other types of mounts, it is simpler and more affordable. Its first plane of motion is vertical, called altitude. The second plane of motion is horizontal, called Azimuth. Hence the name is Altitude-Azimuth mount. Alt-Az mounts or AZ mounts are often referred to in the short form.
Manual Alt-Az mounts have knobs so you can adjust altitude and azimuth. If you buy a really good quality AZ mount then it will have slow knobs, which will help you to track the targets very precisely. You can now get computerized Alt-Az mounts as well, which makes it easier to track the objects.
One of the biggest disadvantages of the alt-az mounts is they don’t rotate along the axis of the earth. So, it is very difficult to track the celestial bodies with the same pattern they are following. Because of this Alt-Az mounts are not the preferred choice for Astrophotography. During astrophotography, you need long exposures and as the earth rotates around its own axis, after every 60 sec the celestial object is at a different position. So tracking the object and keeping it in the frame at a similar angle for a longer duration becomes very difficult with an alt-azimuth mount.
The Equatorial mount.
The equatorial mount is the second main type of mount. It was invented in 1800, a long time before alt-AZ mounts. Even though it is an old-style mount, it is more advanced than the basic alt-az mount. The equatorial mount is also referred to as the EQ mount. The equatorial mounts can rotate around their axis to match the rotation of the earth. As a result, the target celestial object can always be tracked without losing its position, keeping it perfectly centered in the frame.
For beginners, initially, equatorial mounts will be quite difficult to use. But, if you want to do astrophotography and capture beautiful images of deep space objects then you must know how to use an equatorial(EQ) mount.
As there is not much light in space, you need long shutters to capture as much as light possible, for this, your telescope must follow the celestial object keeping it perfectly in the frame. Only then you will be able to capture a sharper and detailed image of that faint distant object. If you want to be an Astrophotographer then you must know how to use an equatorial mount.
Equatorial mounts can be either manual or computerized, but the latter is much more expensive. They both have almost similar advantages. If you have a higher budget then a computerized equatorial mount can be really helpful. You can use this mount to track celestial bodies automatically which improves your overall experience.
The German Equatorial Mount.
There are many types of equatorial mounts such as German equatorial mount, Fork Equatorial mount, equatorial platform, etc. This German equatorial mount is quite popular and used by lots of people. The difference between the equatorial mount and the German equatorial mount is that the German equatorial mount is capable of handling a wide variety of telescope assemblies. The German equatorial mount has more counterweights and just by changing the position of the counterweights, you can mount & balance any telescope on the German equatorial mount. GEQ mount can generally carry a heavier load than a normal equatorial mount. German equatorial mounts can easily handle the long tubes of refractors and Newtonian telescopes.
The Dobsonian Mount
The Dobsonian mount is just another variation of the Alt-azimuth mount. The Dobsonian mounts allow you to fit much larger telescopes than what you normally fit on a regular alt-azimuth mount. This mount has one box-like part which rotates in a full circle and sits on the sturdy base. This box also has a pivot point at the top, where the optical tube attaches, allowing you to move vertically in full range.
They are easy to make, and if you are into DIY (do it yourself) stuff, with the minimum cost you can easily make a decent manual Dobsonian mount at home itself.
The Fork Mount
Nowadays, fork mounts are getting very popular for their ease of use and versatility. You can also call these mounts hybrid mounts. They are available in a single fork and a double fork. If you have seen the Celestron NexStar series all of them are single fork mounts.
If you use a wedge with this mount then you can easily convert this Alt-Az mount into an equatorial mount & then these fork mounts are very much useful for astrophotography.
The fork mount has some disadvantages compared to the German Equatorial mount. When compared to the German EQ mount, the fork mount is less stable. It is difficult to use this mount with different sizes of telescopes. Fork mounts are usually sold in conjunction with telescopes.
These are the 5 most common types of telescope mounts. German equatorial mounts are the best among these five. They are stable and are flexible to use with various telescopes.
However, this article was to educate you about different types of mounts. If you are a beginner then you do not need to worry about which type of mount you want. You just need to get started with your astronomy journey with whatever budget you have. But you must learn how to use an equatorial mount in order to become an astrophotographer.
We hope this article helped you to understand telescope mounts. If you want to know more about stargazing and astronomy, then check out other articles on this site & also check out our YouTube channel.
