Editing Altazimuth mount (section)

{{Short description|Support mechanism with rotation about the horizontal and vertical axes}}
[[File:Dobson class.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A [[Newtonian telescope]] on a simple [[Dobsonian mount]]]]

An '''altazimuth mount''' or '''alt-azimuth mount''' is a simple two-[[coordinate axis|axis]] mount for supporting and [[Rotation around a fixed axis|rotating]] an instrument about two [[perpendicular]] axes – one vertical and the other horizontal. Rotation about the vertical axis varies the [[azimuth]] (compass bearing) of the pointing direction of the instrument. Rotation about the horizontal axis varies the [[altitude angle]] (angle of elevation) of the pointing direction.

These mounts are used, for example, with [[Telescope mount|telescope]]s, [[camera]]s, [[antenna (radio)|radio antenna]]s, [[heliostat]] mirrors, [[solar tracker|solar panel]]s, and [[weapon mount|gun]]s and similar weapons.

Several names are given to this kind of mount, including '''altitude-azimuth''', '''azimuth-elevation''' and various abbreviations thereof. A [[gun turret]] is essentially an alt-azimuth mount for a gun, and a standard [[Tripod (photography)|camera tripod]] is an alt-azimuth mount as well.