The Dual Purpose

Having begun this journey with a couple of different modest mounts, that were much too arduous to transport and assemble, we were in desperate need of acquiring a simpler system for our visual and astrophotography journey. At the time, we were growing increasingly exasperated by the tedious process of moving such bulky units that required precise levelling and alignment to the south-celestial pole that was impossible to find.

After two years of ongoing research and consultation amongst the wider astronomical community, it became very clear that our concerns were shared amongst other equally frustrated amateur astronomy enthusiasts. Curiously, we would ask fellow astro-photographers, what they liked and disliked about their current setup, with many sharing their dismay regarding the amount of time it would take to set-up and the substantial weight of the mount which made it difficult to manoeuvre.

It wasn’t until we stumbled upon the Panther Mount in a couple of online forums, that we investigated this wonder-mount a little further. Much to our surprise, it appeared that the Panther Mount ticked all of our boxes. Sceptical at first, we contacted Niels about our concerns and requirements, eager to find out if his product would be the answer to our problems. Very generously, Niels took the time to address our astronomy issues and tailor made a package that would meet our astrophotography needs.

Since receiving the mount, we have been truly blown away by its ease of use and effortlessness required to operate this piece of equipment. The TTS-160 Panther Mount is a true plug and play mount for astronomers of any level. The mount can be simply wheeled out of our make-shift observatory, without the need for any fussy set-up procedures, and easily powered up. Ready to go, we can then perform a one-star alignment which is more than enough for visual observation. From here, anything that the night sky has to offer, can be found for visual observation.

– Tom