For more money, you can buy a motor drive for the equatorial mount, and the object is tracked automatically. For photography, an equatorial mount with a motor drive is a must, as is a camera adapter. If you plan to eventually do astrophotography, make sure the telescope you purchase supports an adapter. For more on these options, see the Astronomy Buyer's Guide advice on buying a telescope . And one more thing Do more research.
Books can be a great resource, too.
Advanced Skywatching , featured near the top-left of this page, has a helpful chapter explaining telescopes. E-mail us with general site comments or suggestions. Newsticker for your site Earth . The Edge . News to go Asteroids .