AboutPaul Wagner Expertise Astronomy and telescope making. Have made at least seven telescopes, both
refractors and reflectors, and have spent 30 years looking at the nighttime
sky.
Expert: Paul Wagner Date: 6/30/2008 Subject: Mount
Question QUESTION: Hey,
I am building a dobsonian telescope and i like everything except the mount so can i build a dobsonian telescope on an
equatorial mount?and how?
ANSWER: HI Hady
It's hard to put a dobsonian scope on an equatorial mount, because these scopes are designed to withstand stresses in only a few directions...and the equatorial mount would change those. The real challenge is the side bearings of the scope...
I suggest that you look at equatorial platforms as a solution. They will give you many of the advantages of an equatorial mount, and will work perfectly with the dobsonian telescope.
Paul Wagner
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Can i later add a tracking motor or a GOTO tracking motor?
Answer Hi Hady
The equatorial platform will come with a tracking motor, so that won't be a problem. The GOTO technology requires that you also install some encoders on your two axes--that will be more difficult for you to do at home, for any dobson scope. Unless you are really a good engineer, I would leave that for the professionals
