The Track the Stars Telescope rOTAtor allows equatorial tracking with no polar alignment. With the Telescope rOTAtor installed on the Track the Stars TTS160 Panther mount (it can also be used on the TTS300 mount) you can do long exposure astrophotography without polar alignment. And it’s such a simple device to use that beginners can use it.
The Telescope rOTAtor is easily installed by inserting the bottom dovetail into the saddle on the telescope mount. The top of the rOTAtor has its dovetail saddle where the telescope is mounted. Connect the power and signal cable and you are ready to take images. The internal software in the mount head controls the speed and direction of the rOTAtor.
The Track the Stars Telescope rOTAtor rotates the entire Optical Tube Assembly (OTA). This means that any equipment installed on the OTA is rotated as well. Therefore, you can use a piggybacked guide telescope for guiding or taking long-exposure images with telephoto lenses mounted on top of the OTA.
When using the TTS160 Panther with the Telescope rOTAtor astrophotography is fast and simple. Setup the mount with the rOTAtor without doing any levelling. Align on two stars and the combined system is ready for imaging. The rOTAtor will automatically wind to the correct side and start derotating when the object has been centered. Guiding is done via the ST4 compatible port on the mount.
The Track the Stars Telescope rOTAtor specifications include:
Weight: 1.9 kg
Materials: Aluminum, black hard anodized
Drive Gear: 100 mm brass worm wheel and stainless steel worm
Drive Motor: DC Servomotor with high resolution encoder
Dovetail Size: 3-inch Losmandy style dovetail plate beneath and 3-inch Losmandy style dovetail saddle at the top
Connectors: Connector for 12V supply (same as mount head supply via split cable), Control signal connector for connection to mount head
Rotation Angle: 28 Degrees – 1-3 hours rotation (single subs can be as long as that). Rewinds in few seconds to continue imaging.
Telescope Capacity: 20 kg
Power Supply: 12V 1A – This must be the same battery as the one used for the mount head.
Transport Bag: Diameter 180mm (7inch), Length 300mm (12 inch)
You can learn more about the Track the Stars Telescope rOTAtor here.
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