Beginner's Guide to Equatorial Mounted Telescopes
Telescopes have come a long way since their invention in the early 1600's. Modern amateur astronomers can link their scopes to a computer and a camera and make discoveries right alongside the professionals. For beginners, the equatorial mounted telescope is a versatile and advantageous choice.
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Specifics
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The equatorial mount is tilted at the same angle as the axis of rotation of the Earth. As a result, stargazers need not spend valuable viewing time scanning the sky for particular stars or constellations.
Varieties
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The more common variety of equatorial mount telescope is the German equatorial. This is a T-shaped mount, with the long axis of the T aligned toward the pole. The second variety is less common and is known as the Fork mount; as imagined, it is shaped as a two-pronged fork that mounts on a wedge.
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Advantages
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The equatorial mount is simpler to use than an azimuth mount, because it is designed to align itself with the Earth's orbit. To locate a star using the equatorial mount, a person need only know the coordinates of the star (its right ascension and declination).
Astrophotography
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The equatorial mount is really the only proper mount for those with an interest in astrophotography. It is simple to add a motorized drive to an equatorial mount that can follow a star's path for hours. This saves the photographer from the task of continually changing the position of the telescope manually and results in more appealing photos.
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