Why is a telescope mount important?
A telescope is only as useful as its mount – the higher the magnification, the truer this becomes. A telescope mount not only steadies the telescope, it also allows the telescope to follow stars and planets as they move across the night sky. When seen in the eyepiece of a telescope, stars and planets move slowly across the field of view in the eyepiece and disappear (because the telescope magnifies the earth’s rotation, not because the stars move). To keep the object centered in the eyepiece, the telescope must be moved constantly. This is done in a number of ways, depending on the telescope mount.
