Editing Telescope mount (section)

{{Short description|Mechanical structure which supports a telescope}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2008}}

[[Image:Zeiss di Merate - pilastro sud.jpg|thumb|right|1 meter Zeiss telescope at [[Merate Astronomical Observatory]], Merate (LC), Italy. (South support)]]

A '''telescope mount''' is a mechanical structure which supports a [[telescope]]. Telescope mounts are designed to support the mass of the telescope and allow for accurate pointing of the instrument. Many sorts of mounts have been developed over the years, with the majority of effort being put into systems that can track the [[diurnal motion|motion]] of the [[fixed stars]] as the [[Earth's rotation|Earth rotates]].