Why do I need a sturdy mount and tripod for astronomy?
Steve says: "It is amazing how simply touching the focus knobs on a telescope can really unsettle the view just when you need it all to stay perfectly still.
Wind buffeting can also make the telescope visibly shake, while the magnification from the telescope’s optics will only amplify this movement.
A sturdy mount and tripod will, therefore, make a huge difference to the quality of your observations by helping to dampen down unwanted movement quickly.
You can make some improvement to the stability of a lighter duty tripod by suspending a substantial weight underneath it, attached to the underside of the tripod’s head."
- How to build a low-cost wooden tripod
- The benefits of a tripod
- How to build a wheeled telescope tripod
Email your astronomy queries to Steve atscopedoctor@skyatnightmagazine.com and they could get answered in a future issue of BBC Sky at Night Magazine.
