THE WORST POSSIBLE TELESCOPE MOUNT

After participating in a public star party last month I have felt compelled to write a rant on the worse possible telescope mount that has ever been put on the market for newbies to even consider buying.  I would even go so far as to say it is not the most favorable mount even for anyone that is not in the imaging end of astronomy.  You may already be asking what mount could I possibly be talking about.  I am referring to the manually operated and controlled "equatorial mount".  The motorized or GPS models of this mount are not included for review or discussion in this article.


This mount is mass marketed to countless numbers of unsuspecting folks that are getting their feet wet for the first time in visual astronomy observing.  It is sold with a variety of telescopes ranging from the 60mm refractor to a 8 inch reflector. It usually sits atop a wobbly tripod that would in itself be an embarrassment to any self respecting photographer or astronomer observer.  The mount itself is very difficult to properly align and its overall operation defies a simple explanation from even the most ardent users. What is it about this widely sold mount that gets my dander up? 


Lets start with the alignment procedure.  The secret to initial alignment is getting the mount orientated to north.  That sounds simple enough---just point the thing to the north and that will suffice.  Well, for most of us that would be true.  After all, we have the fine adjustment knobs to turn when we are looking at any given target. That will keep everything centered won't it?  Simple answer ---NO.  Objects that we observe do not follow a straight line across the sky.  Everything moves in a "ARC" as it finds its way across the sky from east to west. That is what the equatorial mount is designed to do----follow a given target along an arc as it is moving across the sky.   Manual adjustment knobs allow us to continually "tweak" the mount to keep the target centered.  That is if we can remember which one of the manual knobs to turn at the proper time.  With precise alignment at the  beginning of the sequence we SHOULD only need to adjust the right ascension knob.  The "WHAT" knob you are asking?  It's the one that keeps moving the mount (and scope) along the desired arc that your target is following. No problem if you have aligned the mount perfectly in the initial procedure or unless you happen to mistakenly move the altitude (declination) knob, which will invariably result in a loss of the target in the eyepiece, then forget which way you moved it and in desperation start turning both the altitude and right ascension knob in a desperate effort to relocate the target. It is at this point that the beginner loses all faith in their ability to find anything. But I digress---this paragraph was about the initial alignment.  


The equatorial mount has 3 basic adjustments that must be set to insure proper tracking. First is the latitude setting. This is simple---just set your observing site latitude on the scale indicator and you are set to go.  For most of us in Texas, 32 degrees will suffice.  
Generally speaking, it is easiest to align the mount to polar north, ie the north star, before the scope is placed on the mount. Without going onto details that are difficult to explain, you need to get the part of the mount that holds the telescope to the mount aligned with the Right Ascension axis of the mount.  When this is done and all knobs are tightned, pick up the entire tripod and mount and point them (as best you possibly can) toward the north star (POLARIS).  Put the scope on the mount and if you can see Polaris anywhere in the eyepiece you are OK for visual use. For precise tracking a more detailed alignment is required but we are talking about "NEWBIES" here so let's just leave it at this point.


After this delicate alignment procedure comes the task of pointing the scope in the general direction of your intended target.  If you have never been exposed to a equatorial mount this can be a very daunting experience.  Your first response might be "you just loosen the knobs and turn the scope toward the intended target".  Boy are you in for a surprise. Remember, this thing operates on two axis at the same time---and they must be operated in conjunction with each other.  After the initial alignment your scope should be pointing toward the north at about a 32 degree angle above the horizon.  If you simply loosen the declination knob and rotate the scope toward the south you will see your scope pointing about 32 dergees below the horizon (essentially at the ground dude).  While your scope is pointing to the south the ONLY way you can adjust the elevation is to position the mount so that the counterweight shaft is paralled to the ground and then move the scope again on its declination axis. There is absolutely no way to move the scope in a straight line across the sky.  It must always move in a motion the follows an arc. Are you confused yet?  I haven't even mentioned yet that if your scope happens to be a reflector type you might be standing on your head just to look into the eyepiece.  There is an adjustment for this also but for the sake of this argument I hope that you can understand that an equatorial mount is not the easiest mount to use when you are new to astronomy.  What is a person to do?


One of the best answers to all this is to visit with a local astronomy club which will likely have members with all types of mounts and scopes.  There you can see and experience how the scopes and mounts work and which ones might suit your needs best. The owners of the different pieces of equipment will be able to explain the pros and cons of each type of mount and scope and then you will be able to decide for yourself exactly which is best for you. After all, your objective should be to find and observed the many fine objects that are in our sky---those within our own solar system,  within our own galaxy, and even outside our galaxy.  Even the most expensive and largest telescope you can afford is useless to you unless you can find objects in the sky that you want to see.


                                 HAPPY OBSERVING.