Tripod & Mount Needed

I am the lucky owner of an Astro-Physics 105mm f/5.8 "Traveler"
refractor. I need : tripod, mount (equitorial?), mounting hardware.
Some goto features would be welcome.

I querried Astro-Physics, and got no response !

Any good advice most welcom & thanks.

On Sun, 14 Feb 2016 10:23:39 -0500, wrote:

I am the lucky owner of an Astro-Physics 105mm f/5.8 "Traveler"
refractor. I need : tripod, mount (equitorial?), mounting hardware.
Some goto features would be welcome.

I querried Astro-Physics, and got no response !

Any good advice most welcom & thanks.

Are you planning on visual use or imaging?

Thanks for responding.

Visual

On Sun, 14 Feb 2016 08:32:01 -0700, Chris L Peterson
wrote:

On Sun, 14 Feb 2016 10:23:39 -0500, wrote:

I am the lucky owner of an Astro-Physics 105mm f/5.8 "Traveler"
refractor. I need : tripod, mount (equitorial?), mounting hardware.
Some goto features would be welcome.

I querried Astro-Physics, and got no response !

Any good advice most welcom & thanks.

Are you planning on visual use or imaging?

On Sun, 14 Feb 2016 11:13:21 -0500, wrote:

Thanks for responding.

Visual

In that case, you probably don't need an equatorial mount, nor do you
need exceptional tracking.

Have you looked at any of the iOptron products? They have some nice,
highly portable, fully goto altaz mounts that can easily accommodate
the weight of your scope (something like their MiniTower series).

Well, I'm thinking equitorial because I'd want to stay with the same
object while others take looks and I shift eyepieces, etc. Might want
a drive in the equitorial axis ...


On Sun, 14 Feb 2016 09:39:15 -0700, Chris L Peterson
wrote:

On Sun, 14 Feb 2016 11:13:21 -0500, wrote:

Thanks for responding.

Visual

In that case, you probably don't need an equatorial mount, nor do you
need exceptional tracking.

Have you looked at any of the iOptron products? They have some nice,
highly portable, fully goto altaz mounts that can easily accommodate
the weight of your scope (something like their MiniTower series).

Great lead !

I hadn't known about iOptron.

CEM25 looks pretty good and for only about a grand.


On Sun, 14 Feb 2016 09:39:15 -0700, Chris L Peterson
wrote:

On Sun, 14 Feb 2016 11:13:21 -0500, wrote:

Thanks for responding.

Visual

In that case, you probably don't need an equatorial mount, nor do you
need exceptional tracking.

Have you looked at any of the iOptron products? They have some nice,
highly portable, fully goto altaz mounts that can easily accommodate
the weight of your scope (something like their MiniTower series).

On Sun, 14 Feb 2016 14:06:19 -0500, wrote:

Well, I'm thinking equitorial because I'd want to stay with the same
object while others take looks and I shift eyepieces, etc. Might want
a drive in the equitorial axis ...

You only need equatorial if you need to maintain the rotational
orientation in the eyepiece, as when you image. For visual use,
orientation isn't important, nor is the fact that the view slowly
rotates over time. What you want is _tracking_, and modern altaz
mounts provide excellent tracking. So with an iOptron mount like the
one I suggested, the scope will track the target all night long. It
will initially point the scope to your desired target, either by
coordinates or some catalog ID in its database, and keep it there as
long as you want.

On Sunday, February 14, 2016 at 7:06:24 PM UTC, wrote:
Well, I'm thinking equitorial because I'd want to stay with the same
object while others take looks and I shift eyepieces, etc. Might want
a drive in the equitorial axis ...


Before you go off and destroy yourself with celestial sphere observing, think for a moment about February 29th as it approaches in two weeks.

GoTo telescopes and tracking using the average 24 hour day is actually a homocentric exercise although the mounts given the impression that they are following the daily rotation of the Earth.

The system only works with the calendar framework where February 29th is as necessary as any other day to maintain the constancy of the return of a star in 23 hours 56 minutes 04 seconds. Of course an annual cycle is not naturally based on three years of 365 rotations and one year of 366 rotations,including February 29th, but unfortunately these homocentrists have convinced themselves that it does. It is forced ignorance inherited from the RA/Dec fools who took timekeeping too far.

If you are mesmerized by a rotation celestial sphere then so be it but then whe you set up your telescope to follow circumpolar motion, you might ask yourself which circumpolar motion should you track -

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140620.html

Most of these guys are not astronomers, mere magnification impostors calling themselves astronomers who threw their lot in with theorists who have turn the celestial arena into an ideological junkyard.

On Sunday, February 14, 2016 at 12:08:39 PM UTC-8, oriel36 wrote:

GoTo telescopes and tracking using the average 24 hour day is actually a homocentric exercise although the mounts given the impression that they are following the daily rotation of the Earth.

If you own a telescope that tracks using the average 24 hour day, then you have a drive that has a solar setting... which is included only so you can track the Sun. On the other hand, if you want your telescope to track a star (any star in the sky of your choice), then it must also have a sidereal rate, which is 23 56 04... otherwise, you will fail. Some drives also have a lunar rate, which is different from both the solar rate and the sidereal rate, and it allows you to track the moon (what a surprise!).

Different rates for different objects, these are the cold, hard facts of life. There is no sidereal vs solar vs lunar drama, your own views notwithstanding.

Too bad you remain totally unteachable, your loss... so sad... unlock your brain and finally enjoy reality...

On Sunday, 14 February 2016 10:23:34 UTC-5, wrote:
I am the lucky owner of an Astro-Physics 105mm f/5.8 "Traveler"
refractor. I need : tripod, mount (equitorial?), mounting hardware.
Some goto features would be welcome.

I querried Astro-Physics, and got no response !

Any good advice most welcom & thanks.

There are many mounts suitable for you. Check out this company:

http://www.ioptron.com/category-s/100.htm