Most of today’s amateurs are familiar with fork and German equatorial mounts. Both have their pros and cons, but a common problem with each is that the mounted telescope’s position is offset from the center of the tripod or pier it sits on. As a result, torque can cause stability issues that adversely affect both visual and photographic use.
iOptron, an innovative company in Woburn, Massachusetts, has devised a new approach to this old problem by introducing what they call the center-balanced equatorial mount (CEM). A hybrid design mating the German equatorial with the old-style cross-axis mount, the Z-shaped CEM puts the mount’s balance point directly over the tripod. The result is a mount that features greater stability.
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