Mechanical properties of the equatorial mount

Tracking accuracy: The right ascension axis of the equator can be driven by a motor, so that the equator can "automatically" offset the rotation of the earth. Theoretically, the speed of the motor driving the right ascension axis is equal to the speed of the earth's rotation, but in practice it cannot. The error between the speed of the right ascension axis driven by the motor and the earth's rotation speed is called tracking accuracy. The tracking accuracy is in seconds. For example, the tracking accuracy of the equatorial mount is within ±5 seconds, which means that within one rotation period, the difference between the rotation speed of the equatorial gear and the earth is within ±5 seconds.

The smaller the number of tracking accuracy, the more accurate the better. The rotation accuracy of the motor itself and the number of teeth on the equator will affect the tracking accuracy of the motor. Of course, the more stable the motor, the better, and the more teeth the gear has, the better.

Only the motor of the vertical ascending axis needs tracking accuracy. This is because the right ascension axis rotates around the polar axis, which is equivalent to the rotation of the earth. The motor of the right ascension axis is stationary most of the time. On the smaller equator, there is not even a motor with a vertical ascending axis!

Weight-bearing weight refers to the maximum weight that the equatorial mount can carry under stable tracking conditions. For example, the maximum weight of the equatorial mount is 16 kg, which is the maximum weight limit for the manufacturer to ensure that the equatorial mount can track stably. As far as metal performance is concerned, the weight that metal can bear is more than that. However, if the weight limit is exceeded, the telescope manufacturer cannot guarantee that the equatorial mount motor can be used universally.

The carrying capacity of the equatorial instrument will affect the size of the telescope it can carry. If you have a small telescope, but you have an upgrade plan, or you want to put several telescopes on an equatorial instrument, the weight that the equatorial instrument can carry should not be too small, so that the equatorial instrument cannot bear it. In addition, when installing an astronomical telescope on the equatorial mount, try not to exceed the carrying capacity of the equatorial mount. Otherwise, if the equatorial mount fails, the gains outweigh the losses. Therefore, try to choose an equatorial instrument with a heavier weight, so that the total weight of the telescope is less than the total weight of the equatorial instrument.