Mountings

The mount you use is at least as important as the telescope’s OTA. It should be beefy enough to carry the telescope without it producing any significant vibration.

Each mount has two axes: In alt-azimuth mounts, the telescope is moved in altitude and horizontally (azimuth). In equatorial mounts, however, one axis is aligned parallel to the earth's rotational axis. This is absolutely necessary for astrophotography when using long exposure times. A camera tripod is fine for using a camera with interchangeable lenses on. This is ideal for trips!

The term GoTo means that the mount is computer-controlled. This makes locating and tracking astronomical objects much easier.