Astro-Physics Portable Piers

Characteristics of Astro-Physics Piers

• Unique tension design combines rugged construction with light weight, while reducing flexure and annoying vibrations.
• Legs and tension rods attach without hardware, allowing field assembly in minutes.
• Stainless steel turnbuckles allow you to make fine adjustments for polar alignment or minor leveling.
• The center posts are constructed of aluminum tubing, the base construction is thick-wall aluminum and the legs are steel for strength.
• Aluminum and steel parts are powder coated in a black wrinkle finish.
• Astro-Physics 6", 8" and 10" Pier Accessory Trays (TRAY06, TRAY08 and TRAY10) Eyepiece Accessory Trays (TRAY06H, TRAY08H and TRAY10H) and tray support bars (TRAYSB and TRAYSB1) keep your accessories close at hand.
• 42" piers have 3 additional holes 8.5" from top for tray attachment (compensates for turnbuckle placement)
• Piers may contain minor cosmetic flaws, i.e. slight indentations or irregular paint pattern.

Advantages of Astro-Physics Piers

• Lightweight, breaks down into easily manageable pieces for easy transport & lifting.
• Very sturdy pier for its mass.
• Piers typically in stock for immediate shipment.
• 62" height available as standard item.
• Less expensive.
• Can purchase another pier post with a different height as separate item to use with different telescope.
• Longest component is pier post which is 8" shorter than assembled height, easy to fit into your car.
• 6" Pier can be used for Losmandy G11 mount with our LM2APT Adapter.
• The 8" extension (EAGLE6E8) for our 6" Eagle pier can also be attached to our 6" diameter piers and used as a convenient way to increase the height of your setup.

Upscale your pier for a more robust visual or imaging platform

• Mount the Mach2GTO or Mach1GTO on the Astro-Physics 8" Portable Pier:
  Attach the Astro-Physics 8" Pier Adapter Plate for Astro-Physics Piers (M9010-A) to the 8" pier and then use the existing tapped holes to mount the 6" Flat Surface Adapter (ADATRI).
  Note: 900/1200 Pier Adapter Fastener Pack is also required.

• Mount the 1100GTO and 900GTO on the Astro-Physics 10" Portable Pier:
  Attach the Astro-Physics 10" Pier Adapter Plate (M12012-B) to the 10" pier and then use the existing tapped holes to mount the 8" Flat Surface Adapter (119FSA). The Control Box Extension (Q6281KIT) is then used to provide clearance for the larger pier diameter when mounting the control box (GTOCP2, GTOCP3 or GTOCP4).
  Note: 900/1200 Pier Adapter Fastener Pack is also required.

Pier for 1200 and 1600 Mounts
Use this Latitude Dimension Calculator (Excel spreadsheet) to help with choosing your pier height.

 
Pier for 800, 900 and 1100GTO Mounts (800 mount will not fit in 24" Pier)
Use this Latitude Dimension Calculator (Excel spreadsheet) to help with choosing your pier height.

Pier for 400, 600E, Mach1GTO and Mach2GTO Mounts - The 6x42PP is the only pier still available. The remainder have been discontinued.
Use this Latitude Dimension Calculator (Excel spreadsheet) to help with choosing your pier height.