Equatorial and Alt-Azimuth mounts

Equatorial and Alt-Azimuth mounts are used to support telescopes and accessories, and to point and track astronomical objects. Equatorial mounts are usually used in astrophotography while Alt-Azimuth mounts are easier to use since they don't require polar alignment or are limited by meridian flip. In order to use an Alt-Azimuth mount for deep sky astrophotography, telescope has to be provided with a field de-rotator.