AZ - GoTo

Alt-azimuth GoTo telescopes combine the intuitive up-down, left-right motion of an alt-az mount with computerized pointing and tracking. After a quick alignment, a GoTo mount can automatically slew to thousands of objects in its database, including planets, galaxies, nebulae and star clusters, then track them as they move across the sky.

Because alt-az GoTo mounts do not require polar alignment, they are quick to set up and especially friendly for beginners, families and anyone who wants to spend less time searching and more time observing. They are ideal for visual astronomy and can also be used for short-exposure lunar and planetary imaging with a smartphone or camera.

When choosing an alt-az GoTo telescope, consider aperture, portability and power requirements, and plan to bring a portable power bank for longer sessions in the field. For long-exposure deep-sky astrophotography, an equatorial GoTo mount is the better choice because it eliminates field rotation. For easy, enjoyable visual observing with automatic object finding, an alt-az GoTo telescope is hard to beat.