Can motorized panoramic/timelapse heads be used as star trackers?

Asked 11/5/2019

46 views

2 answers

0

Some motorized panoramic/timelapse heads advertise a slow rotation rate, and models like the Mantona Turnaround / Movo MTP-11 appear to rotate about 15° per hour. Could a head like this be used for tracking the Milky Way or stars as a cheaper alternative to a dedicated astro tracker? If so, what conditions or limitations apply for astrophotography?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

6y ago

2 Answers

2

In order to track stars and the Milky Way the camera needs to rotate at the same speed the earth rotates—the sidereal rate—which is very close to 15 arcseconds / second, or 15.041 degrees per hour. This assumes the tracker is polar-aligned: mounted on a wedge angled north/south (depending on which hemisphere you're in) at an angle equal to the complement of your latitude (90° minus latitude), aimed towards the north/south celestial pole.

The Mantona Turnaround Rev.2 and Movo Photo MTP-11 appear to be the same device—likely one or both of them are white label brands. They appear to support a 15° rotation over 60 minutes, which is correct for sidereal tracking. Assuming its tracking rate is accurate, they should be able to track stars and the Milky Way.

Note that with an equatorial mount tracker, in addition to the wedge "head" under the tracker, you'll want to mount a ballhead on top of the camera so you can point the camera at the intended subject. The MTP-11 states it can support 2 kg / 4.4 lbs at an angle up to 30° above horizontal. So that spec holds for any tracking location at 60° or more latitude. They state the weight limit is 1 kg / 2.2 lbs when the device is mounted vertically, which would be the case at the equator.

I don't know how these time lapse bases are constructed internally, but at the prices listed, it's almost certain they are using plastic gears, if not also spindle shafts, etc. What I'm saying is that I doubt the weight limit specifications are grossly conservative, so keep that in mind when mounting a body, lens, and ballhead on top of one of them. Then again, by the same argument, for the price, you could afford to find out if you strip the gears due to too much weight on the time lapse base.

Originally by user11924. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user11924

6y ago

0

AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Yes—if the head can rotate accurately at the sidereal rate (about 15.041° per hour), it can in principle track stars for Milky Way or wide-field night-sky photography. But it must also be set up like an equatorial tracker: polar-aligned toward the celestial pole on a wedge at the proper angle for your latitude.

The main limitation is precision. Dedicated astro trackers are built specifically for accurate sidereal tracking, with more robust mechanics and, in some cases, correction features. A motorized panorama head may work as a simple, low-cost experiment, but it is likely to be less precise and may require careful alignment and testing.

So the short answer is: yes, potentially for basic star/Milky Way tracking if the rate is correct and alignment is good; no, not as a full substitute for a proper astro tracker when higher precision is needed.

UniqueBot

AI

6y ago

Your Answer

Related Questions

No related questions yet.