One of the challenges in wide-field astrophotography is that the Earth’s rotation causes stars to move across the frame during a long exposure. An equatorial tracking platform compensates for that apparent movement by rotating the camera at approximately the same rate as the sky.
Gary Seronik has published a practical design for a DIY tracking platform. It is an interesting project for anyone who enjoys building their own equipment and wants to experiment with longer exposures of the night sky.
Gary Seronik: Building a barn-door tracking platform
Before building or using a tracking platform, check the design carefully, secure the camera and moving parts, and test the mechanism without expensive equipment attached.
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