Tungsten Disulfide for Equatorial Mount Lubrication

With good lubricating performance, tungsten disulfide can be used in equatorial mount lubrication. The use of this instrument is usually accompanied by a lot of friction and energy loss. So its parts have to be lubricated for the stable observation.

An equatorial mount is the tracking equipment that compensates for Earth's rotation by having one rotational axis parallel to the Earth's axis of rotation. It is designed to track the moving celestial body in its diurnal motion. Usually, a set of standard astronomical telescope is often composed of telescope, equatorial mount and other parts.

When using the equatorial mount, the polar axis should be aimed at the north celestial pole first. Ideally, the star can be always within the field of view of the telescope without any adjustment of the declination. In addition, both the declination axis and the polar axis should be kept in balance. Ideally, the lens tube will be still when the fixing screw is loosened. And the rotation of the equatorial mount will be smooth.

Equatorial mount is equipped with a fretting rod or a motor. The former is a kind of manual tracking while the latter is an automatic one. If we want to observe stars conveniently, we can choose the equatorial mount with a motor. And it is under the condition of achievable budget as well.

The use of equatorial mount involves the rotation of a large number of parts. And their surfaces are easy to be damaged by friction, which will further affect the observation of the celestial bodies. Tungsten disulfide has good lubricating performance and it is easy to use. It can be directly coated on the part surface or be put between parts, so as to reduce the friction loss during the rotation. And the service lives of the parts can be greatly improved with it.

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