PORTABLE TELESCOPE MOUNT WITH INTEGRAL LOCATOR USING MAGNETIC ENCODERS FOR FACILITATING LOCATION OF OBJECTS AND POSITIONING OF A TELESCOPE

A portable altitude/azimuth telescope mount having an integral locator system with a magnetic encoder mechanism for facilitating location of astronomical objects and telescope positioning for observation thereof. A microprocessor receives signals from the encoder mechanism and translates such into position data for display. The locator system also includes a database of astronomical objects, including their locations and other relevant information.