Tele Vue Panoramic Alt-Az Telescope Mount with Encoderupgrades their lightweight Tele-Pod mount with a factory-installed encoder kit and the addition of a custom-made ash wood tripod to create the Encoder-Equipped Panoramic Alt-Az Telescope Mount.

It comes outfitted with their manual alt-azimuth Tele-Pod head, which is configured as a dual-fork yoke mount that cradles your optical tube assembly (OTA) at its center of balance for smooth pan/tilt motion with greatly reduced vibrations. The addition of the encoders on the mount head allows you to use your digital setting circles (DSCs) or computer to show you where objects are and provides real-time mount position as you move the telescope to points of interest.

The Panoramic is recommended for OTA apertures of up to 85mm and its custom-made ash wood tripod provides a rock-solid platform with natural vibration absorption and an accessory tray that provides a convenient place for eyepieces, filters, phones, and flashlights. The tripod adjusts from 28 to 48" and comes with metal spikes at the end of the feet to improve stability and rubber tips to cover the spikes.

Recommended for OTAs up to 4"    Manual Alt-Az Yoke Mount    Pre-Installed Digital Encoder Assembly    -17 to +85° Altitude Range    Adjustable-Height Ash Wood Tripod    Rubber-Tipped Spiked Tripod Legs

• Recommended for OTAs up to 4"
• Altitude adjustment range from -17° to view below the horizon line (such from a hilltop), to +85 for viewing objects near the zenith
• Dual-fork yoke configuration
• Cradle design sits OTA at mount's center of balance for smooth pan/tilt motion with reduced vibrations
• Installed digital encoder kit automatically keeps track of head's movement and position after initial alignment for use with user-provided digital setting circles (DSCs) or computer
• Smooth-motion altitude and azimuth bearing with tension adjustments
• 1/4"-20 and 3/8"-16 mounting holes on azimuth plate for easy OTA attachment
• Scope stop prevents damage if the objective end "nosedives" down
• Control handle facilitates smooth tracking of celestial and terrestrial objects

• Adjustable height from 28 to 48"
• Custom-made out of ash wood
• Two leg sections
• Large leg-clamp knobs for easy and secure adjustment
• Quick-mounting matching wood accessory tray
• Spiked feet with included rubber covers to protect spikes and/or surfaces

Related Questions and Answers

Q: 1. Can this be used for daytime scoping too?

A: Yes this Model can be used for Terrestrial use during the daytime, since it comes with a 90° Erect-Image Diagonal.

Q: 2. what does erect image viewing mean?

A: When you look at the moon through a straight telescope (refactor) the moon will be upside down in the eyepiece. When you take a picture with a digital camera the image will be projected on to the senor upside down, the camera's software will transpose it correctly on the LCD screen. A erecting prism on a telescope or binocular does the same thing.

Q: 3. I am using this telescope and i am a complete newbie when it comes to stargazing. I am trying to see venus from the balcony of my building, but when I zoom on it, I just see a white dot. Does that mean its a star or is there something im doing wrong? Because it worked fine with the moon.

A: No, you're doing nothing wrong. Venus goes through phases just like our own moon and can be closer or father away. You may want to get a higher magnification eyepiece or a 2x Barlow Lens to magnify the planet and increase its size . Sincerely, Kevin at Celestron

Q: 4. what is its shipping box's packed weight ?

A: Unfortunately the question you're asking cannot be answered with our Q+A feature. Please contact our Sales directly for assistance.Email: Sales@bhphotovideo.com

Q: 5. Is the Tele Vue TEC-1018 Eyepiece Caddy compatible with this mount?

A: Yes it is compatible.

Q: 6. Can I use it with a mount to connect my Sony a7Rii?

A: Yes, it would be possible to connect that camera to this telescope. However, this telescope is not a great choice to use a 3 thousand dollar camera with. But technically, yes, you could connect this using item 93625 and you would also need a Sony T-Ring. Celestron only offers T-Rings for Canon and Nikon currently.

Q: 7. Does this mount have slow motion controls?

A: The Tele Vue Encoder-Equipped Gibraltar HD4 Alt-Az Mount BH #TEG4E6023 • MFR #G4E-6023 has no slow-motion control.

Q: 8. Does this kit include a star diagonal or is that included?

A: No, a star diagonal is not included, a non issue with me as I already had two of them.

Q: 9. Is there a computerized tripod for the Explore Scientific Firstlight 130mm f/4.6 Alt-Az Newtonian Telescope?

A: The Explore Scientific FirstLight 130mm f/4.6 comes with the manual Twilight I Alt-Azimuth Mount. You could replace the manual mount with this computerized Explore Scientific iEXOS-100-2 PMC-Eight Equatorial Go-To Tracker System: https://bhpho.to/3qouVtc

Q: 10. Is chromatic aberration is a big problem for this Telescope?

A: The Inspire 100AZ telescope is an achromatic refractor design, so there will be a degree of chromatic aberration, but the views are highly acceptable.