Mounts
Telescope tubes come and go; a good mount carries several of them over the years. A shaking or underpowered mount makes any tube look bad. Payload, smooth control and the right type of motion are what to buy first.
At 150x, a mount that vibrates for three seconds after every touch shows nothing. Thick legs, a solid head and a payload with margin are what prevent it.
Celestron’s CG-4 publishes a 20 lb payload, its own 12.5 lb weight, 1.75-inch steel legs and two counterweights. For visual use it carries a 4-inch refractor or 6-inch Newtonian steadily. An alt-azimuth head with geared slow motion, like the Celticbird 126:1, does the same without alignment.
The AZ-GTi carries 11 lb, finds objects from a phone and travels in a carry-on. For heavier tubes, the Advanced VX carries 30 lb on a German equatorial with permanent PEC, and the AZ-EQ6 44 lb on a belt drive.
A mount with margin takes the next tube, a camera and a guide scope. A mount at its limit with the first tube has to be replaced with the second.
Payload in pounds, the dovetail saddle type, the tripod, and for GoTo the power source. See dovetail profiles.
Steadiness counts for more than tracking. A mount that does not shake is enough.
Tracking becomes compulsory, and stated payload is taken with a substantial margin.
The mount stays; the tube passes through. That is why it deserves the budget.
| The use | What decides | What misleads |
|---|---|---|
| Observing | Steadiness | Stated payload |
| Photographing | Tracking | The tube |
| Carrying | The heaviest piece | Total weight |
| Lasting | The mount | The tube |
A mount goes out of adjustment through its play and through damp in its bearings. Adjustment screws loosen with transport, and a mount stored damp seizes before it breaks.
This site publishes stated specifications and concludes that no mount will hold.
20 lb (9.07 kg) payload · 12.5 lb mount · 33 to 47 in · 1.75 in stainless steel legs · 7 lb and 4 lb counterweights
Celestron's CG-4: a manual German equatorial mount with slow-motion controls and ball bearings on both axes, a 20 lb payload, 7 lb and 4 lb counterweights and a stainless steel tripod with 1.75 in legs.
Best for: A tube of up to 20 lb, followed by hand on a tripod that does not shake
≈ $420
11 lb payload on an 8.6 lb mount · Wi-Fi · dual encoders · tripod 28 to 53 in · AA batteries or 12 V
Sky-Watcher's AZ-GTi: an 8.6 lb Wi-Fi GoTo alt-azimuth mount carrying 11 lb, with Freedom Find encoders, brass and aluminum gearing, a tripod from 28 to 53 inches and AA or 12 V power.
Best for: A traveling observer who wants GoTo pointing in carry-on luggage
≈ $439
30 lb payload · 7° to 77° latitude · 2 in stainless steel legs · 47 lb kit · NexStar+ with 40,000+ objects · PEC
Celestron's Advanced VX: a computerized German equatorial GoTo mount with a 30 lb payload, 2-inch stainless steel tripod legs, a 7 to 77-degree latitude range, permanently programmable PEC and a NexStar+ hand control with 40,000+ objects.
Best for: Imaging from a site where the mount matters more than the tube
≈ $1,099
44 lb payload · belt drive · PPEC · equatorial, alt-azimuth and dual-telescope modes · dual encoders
Sky-Watcher's AZ-EQ6: a 44 lb-payload GoTo mount that works as a German equatorial, an alt-azimuth or a carrier for two telescopes, with belt drive, permanent periodic error correction and Freedom Find encoders.
Best for: One mount for visual work and long-exposure imaging, at a fixed or semi-fixed site
≈ $2,299
126:1 worm gear on both axes · ALT/AZ scales · die-cast aluminum head · 32 mm (1.26 in) aluminum legs
An all-metal alt-azimuth mount and tripod with 126:1 worm-gear slow motion on both axes and altitude and azimuth scales, sold for 130/650 reflectors and 90/1000 refractors.
Best for: A 130/650 reflector or 90/1000 refractor that needs geared movement and setting scales
For visual use, the tube and accessories should sit comfortably under the rating; for imaging, at about half of it.
Alt-azimuth is simpler for visual use. Equatorial tracks on one axis once polar-aligned, which photography needs.
For many beginners and urban observers, yes: it finds objects in seconds. Make sure the mount publishes a payload and that you plan its power.
For observing: A tube of up to 20 lb, followed by hand on a tripod that does not shake
Where it is strong: Payload and mount weight both published: 20 lb carried, 12.5 lb to carry
Where it is weak: No motor: tracking is by hand
For observing: A traveling observer who wants GoTo pointing in carry-on luggage
Where it is strong: Payload and mount weight published: 11 lb on 8.6 lb
Where it is weak: Alt-azimuth only: long exposures rotate
For observing: Imaging from a site where the mount matters more than the tube
Where it is strong: 30 lb payload and 47 lb kit weight both published
Where it is weak: 47 lb to carry
For observing: One mount for visual work and long-exposure imaging, at a fixed or semi-fixed site
Where it is strong: 44 lb payload for large tubes
Where it is weak: About 44 lb itself in Amazon's item data: not a travel mount
For observing: A 130/650 reflector or 90/1000 refractor that needs geared movement and setting scales
Where it is strong: A gear ratio is published, 126:1 on both axes, where most alt-azimuth heads publish nothing
Where it is weak: No payload figure, only the tube sizes it is meant for
$91 – $268
3 models
$300 – $579
5 models
$905 – $2 299
3 models
The models above are taken from the catalog of this site. Specifications are the ones the maker publishes and the ones on the Amazon page; prices are the Keepa reading for the date shown, and both change. Ranking uses declared specifications, the weight of stated strengths against stated limits, and price. Nothing here has been pointed at the sky by us, and the page makes no such claim.
Last checked on
Any figure written into the body of this page was true on the day it was written. The amount shown next to each instrument is requested from the retailer as the page loads, and it is that amount, not the text, that stands.
