There are two primary types of mounts: equatorial and altitude-azimuth.
Altitude-Azimuth (alt-az) are straightforward and intuitive to beginners: they have the traditional up-and-down (altitude) and side-to-side (azimuth) movements.
Equatorial (EQ) mounts are like alt-az mounts but the vertical axis is adjusted so that it can align with the celestial pole. It makes pointing at a terrestrial object or a celestial target more complicated.
So what mount will you find on a beginner telescope? It depends. You would think alt-az, because it's easier to use, but many come with EQ mounts?
Why? What benefit does an EQ mount have over an Alt-Az mount?
- First and foremost, a motorized, properly aligned EQ mount is excellent for long-duration photographs. But they're expensive and generally not it the "beginner" price range.
- Second, a properly aligned EQ mount with the setting circles properly set can be used to find celestial targets by their absolute celestial coordiates or offset from a bright visual object. This was one way to find objects prior to the presence of easier-to-use phone apps.
- In essence, there is little value to saddling a beginner with an EQ mount. They're anachronisms for that audience. In fact, inexpensive scopes on EQ mounts are often called "The hobby killers."
"I have an EQ mount. Am I doomed?"
No! Some, but not all, EQ mounts can be adjusted to mimic an Alt-Az mount. The latitude adjustment screws/bolt - which are used to adjust the scope to align with Polaris - might be adjustable all the way to level with the ground. At this point, you have an Alt-Az mount: easy to point!