Corvane Scree GoTo alt-az mount, with steel pier

Specifications

Description

The Scree is a GoTo alt-az mount for small refractors, short reflectors, and spotting scopes with a payload of up to 4 kg. Its altitude and azimuth axes are driven by geared stepper motors, which slew the tube to any object in a built-in catalog of 42,000 targets. The catalog covers Messier, NGC, and IC objects, bright stars, and the planets and Moon. You select a target on the hand controller, and the mount moves until the object sits near the center of the field.

Before the first session, level the tripod and run the two-star alignment. The hand controller prompts you to center two bright stars in the eyepiece, and the mount uses their positions to correct for leveling error and axis offset. Alignment takes about five minutes on a stable tripod. Once aligned, the mount tracks the sky on both axes, which keeps a target steady at low and medium power. Because the mount is alt-az, the field slowly rotates around the center of the view over the course of an hour, and this rotation is visible in long-exposure photographs but not during visual observing.

The saddle is a dovetail type that accepts bars up to 45 mm wide, with a safety screw that holds the bar while you tighten the main clamp. The head weighs 2.6 kg and has a 3/8-16 thread underneath for photo tripods. The mount runs on eight AA batteries in the handle or on 12 V DC from a power tank or car adapter.

Telescopes up to about 80 mm aperture and 1.2 kg in weight suit the Scree best. Heavier tubes fit within the 4 kg rating but take longer to settle after focusing and can strain the drive at high speed. Keep the total load, including diagonal, eyepiece, and finder, well below the rated payload.

About this configuration

Each configuration of the Corvane Scree GoTo alt-az mount uses the same mount head; the options change what it stands on and what ships with it. The steel pier raises the mount and leaves more room under the telescope for long refractors and cameras. A pier lets the telescope swing past the meridian without the tube or the camera hitting the legs. A padded case makes it easier to carry the mount head to a dark site without knocks to the axes.

A white mount head is easy to see in the dark, which helps you avoid walking into the tripod. The 2023 edition uses the same gears and bearings as later years, with small differences in the clamps. For steady views, keep the total load of tube, finder, and camera below the rated payload with some margin to spare.

What's in the box

• Alt-az GoTo mount head with dovetail saddle
• Hand controller with coiled cable
• Eight-AA battery holder
• Accessory tray
• Steel pier with leveling base
• Padded carrying case

Compatibility notes

• Accepts dovetail bars up to 45 mm wide.
• The 3/8-16 base thread fits most photo tripods; a 1/4-20 adapter is included.
• Suits telescopes up to about 80 mm aperture and 1.2 kg for steady views.
• The 12 V DC input accepts a 2.1 mm barrel plug.