Why is the mount considered the most important part of an astrophotography setup?

Your camera and telescope capture light — but only if stars are pinpoints. A poor mount produces star trails that ruin every image regardless of how good your optics and camera are. A quality mount with accurate tracking produces pinpoint stars that your telescope and camera can capture at full resolution. You can always upgrade your telescope or camera later, but a poor mount limits everything attached to it. Invest in mount quality first.

What is autoguiding and do I need it?

Autoguiding uses a small secondary camera and guide scope to continuously monitor a star's position and send corrections to the mount. This corrects for periodic error, flexure, and atmospheric refraction — keeping tracking accuracy to sub-arcsecond levels. For exposures under 60 seconds, autoguiding is optional. For exposures of 2+ minutes (needed for deep-sky imaging), autoguiding is essential. An autoguiding setup costs $150-300 (guide scope + guide camera) and dramatically improves image quality.

Best Star Tracking Mounts 2026