🇬🇧 Connection between Mount and Tripod or Pier

The connections between telescope tripods and mounts have simply evolved over time. There are no fixed standards, but at least quite similar dimensions are used across different brands for similarly constructed mounts.

GP- / EQ5 Connection

This connection originates from the Vixen Great Polaris mount and was adopted by Skywatcher for their EQ5 mount. Similarly sized mounts from many other brands also use this design. However, the dimensions can be slightly different between manufacturers, and even between different batches from the same manufacturer. Therefore, it is difficult to state universally valid dimensions. A good overview can be found here (English).

The connection mostly fits these mounts:

Omegon

• Twinmaster,
• EQ-500 X,
• Half-pier for Kolossus,

Skywatcher

• EQ-3,
• (H)EQ-5,
• AZ/EQ-5,
• Skytee,

Bresser and Explore Scientific EXOS-2,

Celestron AVX,

Meade LX85,

Vixen GP / GP-DX.

Current Vixen mounts have a different connection than GP, see below!

EQ6 Connection

With the EQ6 mount, Skywatcher retained the shape but slightly changed the dimensions so that the connection between the tripod and the mount is also suitable for higher load capacities. The EQ6 connection mostly fits:

• Skywatcher (AZ-)EQ-6(R),
• Celestron CGEM.

3/8" Photo Thread Connection

Especially lighter mounts can have a central 3/8"-16 UNC thread. It has a 9.5mm diameter - please do not confuse it with the M10 thread: the pitch of the threads is different. If you screw a photo screw into an M10 thread, you can easily damage both!

Light photo tripods are not suitable for telescope mounts!

For a photo tripod to be used as a telescope tripod, it must:

1. Be designed for significantly more load capacity than is mounted on it. This is because a telescope has much more leverage than a camera and needs to be aligned more precisely.
2. Have enough contact surface area - we recommend at least 8cm in diameter.

Modern "strainwave" mounts often have a 3/8" thread. However, they are almost always meant to be connected to their dedicated tripods with other screws or clamps. Therefore, always check the connections very carefully when combining devices. Above all, the mount must be secured against rotating loosely on the tripod. This can easily happen if the telescope is turned by hand or you accidentally bump into it.

Manufacturer- and Device-Specific Connections

Particularly high-capacity mounts are almost always equipped with proprietary tripod connections. However, there are adapters for the more common mounts and tripods.

Tripods and mounts of the same brand do not necessarily have to fit together! The reason is that mounts for heavier loads require a much more stable connection - which would be oversized for a small mount.