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Springfield mount

From Encyc
A Springfield telescope mount. Note the man on the stepladder is adjacent to the eyepiece. The mount is designed so the telescope rotates around the eyepiece. Ordinarily, most of the telescope's weight would be near the other end of the tube, where the primary mirror. However, a heavy counterweight, mounted on arm, puts the telescope's center of gravity right near the eyepiece, so the operator can stay in one spot, while the telescope rotates around him or her.
Drawing of a springfield telescope mount -- note the telescope rotates around the eyepiece.

The Springfield mount is a type of telescope mount with a distinctively visible counterweight.[1]

Optical light telescopes, intended to be used for photography, are mounted with one axis parallel with the Earth's axis of rotation.[1] A clockwork mechanism slowly rotates the telescope, in synch with the Earth's rotation, so, once the operator has it pointed at their target, the clockwork will keep it pointed at the same part of the sky.

The mount's innovation is that, through the use of its distinctive counterweight, the viewpiece can remain fixed.[1]

Russell Porter, an amateur astronomer, invented the mount, in 1928.[2]

References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Fixed eyepiece compact telescope, SSCT". Ed Johnson's Home page. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
  2. ↑ "Main Tube, Telescope, Springfield Newtonian, and Misc. parts". National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 2025-11-01. The Springfield style of Newtonian reflector was first suggested by the artist and amateur astronomer Russell W. Porter in the early 20th Century.
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