Explore Scientific RA Motor Drive for EQ3 Telescope Mounts

The Explore Scientific RA Motor Drive adds automatic sidereal tracking to the EXOS Nano EQ3 mount. With the mount polar aligned, the motor turns the right ascension axis at the sidereal rate to offset Earth's rotation, so the Moon, a planet or a deep-sky object stays centered in the eyepiece without constant manual adjustment.

Key Features

• Single-axis drive. The motor works on the right ascension axis, the axis an equatorial mount turns to follow the sky.
• Hand controller. Buttons drive the axis at twice the tracking speed in one direction and at four times the speed in either direction for positioning corrections, and a stop button halts it.
• Northern or Southern Hemisphere. A switch on the controller sets the drive for either hemisphere and turns it off.
• Battery powered. Four D-cell batteries run it, or a suitable 6V DC power adapter; neither is included.

Ideal For

• Owners of the EXOS Nano EQ3 who want the mount to follow the sky on its own, whether the mount came by itself or with a FirstLight telescope.
• Extended observing sessions on the Moon, the planets and deep-sky objects, with the target kept in view.

Accessories & Compatibility

• Compatible mounts. The Explore FirstLight EXOS Nano Mount EQ3, including the one in the FirstLight 114mm Newtonian with EQ3 Mount package, and the equatorial mounts of the Explore Scientific 114mm and 134mm Newtonian Reflector Telescopes with Equatorial Mount (ES-ON11444EQ3 and ES-ON13449EQ3).
• Polar alignment. Accurate tracking needs the mount polar aligned first.
• Turning the axis by hand. Close the coupling before turning the slow-motion shaft; turning it while the coupling is loosened for motor tracking can damage the drive.