Classic Vixen Photo Guide Tracking Mounts

This video examines a small step in the halting evolution of small photo-equatorial mounts. Especially in Japan, where astrophotography was a very popular hobby, there was strong demand for a portable mount that could be precisely polar aligned for long photographic exposures on the very slow films of the era. These exposures could be as long as 15 minutes or more. Tracking for such photos was challenging even at short focal lengths. These shots were often hand guided, sometimes using an electronic clock drive but also with simple hand power. Careful polar alignment was a necessity. In Japan, “hoshino” (expedition) trips were the way to get away from the light polluted cities and shoot under darker rural skies.

There were many efforts by manufacturers (and home builders) to produce a useful mount for the purpose. These two mounts are just a couple of the many different attempts and demonstrate some very interesting successes and missteps in the evolution of these devices. Modern versions are more sophisticated but essentially solve the same problems.

Here's the Takahashi TS40 Sky Patrol:    • Takahashi TS40 Sky Patrol Mount