Some Questions About MountsPosted By Gregory Cunniff |
First off, I would like to say I am a relative beginner to astronomy, so any advice you can offer would be appreciated. I am currently in the process of learning the sky with several pairs of binoculars and I'm just now getting comfortable to the point where I am considering the purchase of a telescope. Obviously, there are a couple different ways I could go, but at this point I am strongly considering an Orion reflector for the following reasons:
1) Orion offers a number of packages with the Sirius EQ-G mount, which is recommended as a best value mount for astrophotography in the Backyard Astromomer's Guide. I should probably stress here that I do not plan on jumping right into astro-imaging, as I understand the difficultly of this sort of thing for beginners. However, I am an avid amateur photographer, so the idea is certainly something that would be appealing to me down the road in the event that I can obtain a certain level of proficiency with a telescope.
2) What does not appeal to me is the idea of upgrading a mount every time I want to consider upgrading the scope. I would rather put my money into a good quality mount from the start that will allow me to utilized a number of different scopes as needed. The reflector tubes are priced quite reasonably, which would allow me to put the money into the mount. Down the road, I might be interested in adding a nice refractor (Tele Vue makes some nice ones, but as a beginner, I cannot justify the price) or a catadioptric. Ideally, I could just purchase the tube on mount it on the Orion mount.
Having said this, here are a number of questions that I have concerning these mounts or mounts in general -
The equatorial mount seems like a good option to me. Certainly, many of the reflector telescopes are offered in packages with this mount configuration. Would this mount also be appropriate for a refractor or catadioptric telescope?
Some of you may argue that a GOTO mount is a poor choice for a beginner and that I should take to time to learn the sky without it. Fair enough - I happen to agree with you and I will make every effort to proceed in that manner. Others might argue a GOTO mount would be a good choice given that fact that I am a beginner and will struggle locating points of interest. Again, I think this is a valid point. However, I would like to ignore this argument for the time being and simply take into consideration my preference to purchase a mount that will allow me the most versatility.
In summary, what I am looking for is a quality mount that allows me to upgrade to other scope options without having to continually upgrade the mount. I would like an equatorial mount with motors and the option to utilize a GOTO feature. And finally, I would like a mount that work well with astro-imaging, in the event that I expand into that (which seems likely).
If anyone has any comments, suggestions or recommendations for me concerning mounts, I would really appreciate it. Perhaps me thinking is completely flawed and if so, I would like to elicit your opinions before I invest in any equipment.
1) Orion offers a number of packages with the Sirius EQ-G mount, which is recommended as a best value mount for astrophotography in the Backyard Astromomer's Guide. I should probably stress here that I do not plan on jumping right into astro-imaging, as I understand the difficultly of this sort of thing for beginners. However, I am an avid amateur photographer, so the idea is certainly something that would be appealing to me down the road in the event that I can obtain a certain level of proficiency with a telescope.
2) What does not appeal to me is the idea of upgrading a mount every time I want to consider upgrading the scope. I would rather put my money into a good quality mount from the start that will allow me to utilized a number of different scopes as needed. The reflector tubes are priced quite reasonably, which would allow me to put the money into the mount. Down the road, I might be interested in adding a nice refractor (Tele Vue makes some nice ones, but as a beginner, I cannot justify the price) or a catadioptric. Ideally, I could just purchase the tube on mount it on the Orion mount.
Having said this, here are a number of questions that I have concerning these mounts or mounts in general -
The equatorial mount seems like a good option to me. Certainly, many of the reflector telescopes are offered in packages with this mount configuration. Would this mount also be appropriate for a refractor or catadioptric telescope?
Some of you may argue that a GOTO mount is a poor choice for a beginner and that I should take to time to learn the sky without it. Fair enough - I happen to agree with you and I will make every effort to proceed in that manner. Others might argue a GOTO mount would be a good choice given that fact that I am a beginner and will struggle locating points of interest. Again, I think this is a valid point. However, I would like to ignore this argument for the time being and simply take into consideration my preference to purchase a mount that will allow me the most versatility.
In summary, what I am looking for is a quality mount that allows me to upgrade to other scope options without having to continually upgrade the mount. I would like an equatorial mount with motors and the option to utilize a GOTO feature. And finally, I would like a mount that work well with astro-imaging, in the event that I expand into that (which seems likely).
If anyone has any comments, suggestions or recommendations for me concerning mounts, I would really appreciate it. Perhaps me thinking is completely flawed and if so, I would like to elicit your opinions before I invest in any equipment.
