Dobsonian telescopes are a great value for a lot of aperture, but the dobsonian base has its limitations.
A small Dobsonian reflector can be mounted on a tripod or equatorial mount as long as the mount is capable of holding the weight of the optical tube. Install mounting rings to hold the scope to the mount and be sure to counterweight the scope accurately.
Dobsonian telescopes are often recommended for beginners, but some worry that they will outgrow them as they progress in the hobby.
There are a few different mounts that can be used to support a dobsonian telescope:
EQ Platform
Alt/Az Tripod
EQ Mount on a Tripod
The best option if you want to get into astrophotography is to put your Dobsonian telescope on an EQ platform. These platforms allow for more accurate tracking and longer exposure for photographs.
If you are looking to use your Dobsonian for astrophotography, I recommend an EQ platform.
Mounting a dobsonian reflector optical tube to an EQ mount will make it better suited for astrophotography, but the mount will be very expensive. The mount will also be heavier than your Dobsonian mount.
It may make it more difficult to transport your equipment if you observe away from home.
You will need to install mounting rings to your optical tube and you will need to be able to lift your scope onto the mount, which may be shoulder height.
A tripod may be an option for a small Dobsonian reflector if you are looking to improve your comfort while observing, but I wouldn’t do it.
Mounting a Dobsonian Telescope on a Tripod
Small Dobsonian telescopes can be mounted on a tripod as long as you can get the correct hardware to connect the optical tube to the tripod.
You will want to get a tripod that is capable of holding twice the weight of your optical tube, dew heater and any other accessories you use regularly.
Most tripods are rated for 10-15lbs, Orion sells a carbon fiber tripod that will support small Dobsonian telescopes probably up to 6 inches of aperture.
Dobsonian telescopes are called Dobsonians because of thier base. The base is part of what makes Dobsonians such great telescopes for beginners, so if you are just getting started, I highly recommend that you get a Dobsonian and use it with the base.
If you have been using your Dob for a while and you want to change the mount you can look into tripods, EQ platforms, EQ mounts or buying a new scope desinged to be mounted on a tripod or EQ.
How do you put a telescope on a tripod?
To attach a telescope to a tripod you will need to install mounting rings if your optical tube does not already have mounting points.
Mounting rings will go around the optical tube and attach to a plate that connects the telescope to the mount.
There are a few things that make this project a bit complicated.
What is a telescope tripod?
I want to clear up some terminology here so that we can talk about what components you may want to buy.
Tripod – the tripod is the three legs that hold up the mount.
Mount – the piece that connects directly to the telescope and determines how the scope can move. (alt/az or eq are the most common types of mounts)
Optical Tube – the part of the telescope that contains the mirrors or lenses and collects and focuses light to the eyepieces.
So a tripod can support an alt/az or eq mount, it just depends on each component.
Weight
The tripod and the mount will both be rated for a certain weight.
You will need to know the weight of your optical tube and before you get a tripod or mount.
When possible you should weigh the optical tube with all accessories attached, eyepiece, coma corrector, dew heater, camera and any fans that you use regularly.
Multiply that weight times 1.5 or 2 when choosing your mount you will want more capacity than you need to ensure smooth tracking.
Tracking
If you are considering mounting your Dobsonian reflector onto a different mount for astrophotography you will also want a computerized mount.
Go-to mounts have the ability to track stars to keep them in the field of view in a long exposure photo.
Be sure that you buy the mount that can handle the weight of the optical tube and all accessories plus the weight of your camera. Overloaded mounts cannot track smoothly.
Hardware
You will need to find mounting rings that will fit around your optical tube. I found a few on High Point Scientific, but I saw this Celestron PowerSeeker on Amazon (affiliate link) that is a good example of what you are looking for.
I also found this cradle ring set on High Point that would make mounting the scope easier because of the handle.
You will also need a mounting plate that matches your mount.
This conversation will need to happen with the seller of the mount, they can point you to exactly what you will need.
Counterweight
If you are going to an EQ mount, be sure to get the right amount of counterweight. This allows the scope to slew smoothly and easily.
Please be careful with all this weight. Your scope is heavy, your mount is heavy and the counterweights are heavy.
I have heard stores of broken toes and even broken teeth from an unsecured counterweight. Can you imagine having to try to pack up all your gear with a few broken teeth?
Can I mount a dobsonian telescope on an equatorial mount?
In order to mount a Dobsonian optical tube on an equatorial mount you will need a mount that can support at least 1.5x the weight of the optical tube. This setup will be very heavy and may be difficult to transport.
A small dobsonian telescope around 6” or smaller could be mounted on an EQ mount. Larger telescopes may be too heavy to mount and transport. Consider if you can lift the optical tube onto the tripod which may be over waist high.
If you have started shopping for a new mount you have already seen the high price of eq mounts.
You will find that your reflector optical tube will max out the weight limit on many eq mounts.
If you get close to the weight limits it will be difficult to move the mount smoothly and it may make the goto motors strain to track objects.
This degraded tracking quality will show up in your images.
There are a few things you can do to improve the telescope’s tracking, so be sure to read the list in the linked post.
Using a Dobsonian Telescope for Astrophotography
It is possible but not easy to use a Dobsonian mounted reflector for astrophotography.
The movement allowed by the base makes long exposure difficult or impossible.
Dobsonian telescopes track in a stair step pattern of up and over, up and over. This pattern is not obvious when observing visually, but becomes very obvious when taking long exposure photographs.
I enjoy planetary and lunar photography with my Dobsonian and a dedicated planetary camera, but I take a video and use software to process it into an image post capture.
If you plan to photograph with a DSLR it can require you to adjust the position of the primary mirror or change out your focuser for a low profile focuser.
If you make any adjustments to the position of the primary mirror, you will no longer be able to use the telescope for visual observing.
This is a major drawback for me and I am happy to use a dedicated camera instead of making these kinds of adjustments.
I am mostly a visual guy.
You can read more about astrophotography with a Dobsonian in the linked post.
