PIERS V. TRIPODS

I'm a newbee and don't really understand which is better. help!

Hi David,
Well there are tripods that are very solid and stable and then some that are not. The same holds true for portable piers. Usually a pier is a good design and can be the better of the two. But some makers of tripods have excellent designs.

So, no clear cut answer to this question.

I assume you are talking about portable piers, not permanent installations. Right?

Alex

It depends on the type of telescope and mount. If you have a Newtonian on a German equatorial mount, a tripod sometimes creates problems because the lower part of the tube tends to bump into the tripod legs. Otherwise, a good sturdy tripod with wide legs is a good choice and probably somewhat easier to transport than a pier.