My tripod tipped over at a rest stop outside Flagstaff and I had to fix my star tracker with a plumber's trick

Jordan Black · 2026-09-19T03:05:04.42566+00:00

I pulled off I-40 near Flagstaff in October to grab a shot of the Milky Way over the pines, and a gust of wind knocked my tripod right onto the gravel, cracking the plastic housing on my star tracker. I didn't have a replacement part, so I ran back to my truck, grabbed a roll of Teflon tape and a couple of zip ties, wrapped the joint tight, and just kept shooting for another 45 minutes with the rig shimmed against a cooler. That mess of tape held all night, but does anyone know a real fix for a cracked tracker housing, or am I just buying a new one?

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My tripod tipped over at a rest stop outside Flagstaff and I had to fix my star tracker with a plumber's trick | Astronomy Photos - Rigidtalk