> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://www.projectpanoptes.org/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://www.projectpanoptes.org/build/hardware/mount-and-pier/mount.md).

# Mount

The camera box is placed on an equatorial mount, with both receiving a DC power supply from the control box. An equatorial mount compensates for the Earth's rotation by rotating in the opposite direction on an axis parallel to the Earth's axis of rotation. 

We are currently shifting to center-balanced equatorial mounts over traditional German equatorial mounts. The center-balanced equatorial mounts offer greater stability and are optimized for a maximum payload to a minimum mount weight ratio. We use an iOptron CEM40 mount, which offers a low periodic error of < 7 arcseconds. This means that any given star should not move more than one pixel on the image.

<figure><img src="/files/5zcLg3LMMUjgeZ4SX2gL" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>


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