Now we understand the different types of Telescope Optics and how they work. We need a way to mount our telescopes.
Mounts
Alt/Azimuth Mounts
These are your cheap and cheerful entry into telescope mounting. They are simple to use and work very effectively in supporting small and large telescopes. The mounts can vary in type from simple fork type mounts show above to the John Dobson system for larger reflecting telescopes.
They work on a very simple coordinate system and are ideal for those just learning astronomy and seeking a cheap means of entering the hobby.
German Equatorial
These mounts are much more sophisticated and are designed to track the motion of the Earth thereby ensuring an object being observed will remain within the vie of the eyepiece. These do require more setting up through polar alignment but are essential if you want to enter the realm of astrophotography.
As you can imagine a good quality EQ mount is considerably more expensive than an Alt/Azimuth but will last you a lifetime if looked after properly.