Why THIS Equipment? (Camera)

Why did I choose the Canon 1000D (Digital Rebel XS)? Here's what I've learned from various sources about cameras:

What Kind of Pictures Do You Want to Take?
What's the Best Camera to Take Them With?
* Scenics - DSC or DSLR
* Planetary - Webcam
* Deep-sky - CCD or DSLR

Canon DSLR's are standard, then Nikon in second
Good points about the Canon 1000D (Digital Rebel XS):
Low noise (Canon is typically better)
High sensitivity
Good signal to noise ratio
Live-view focusing
Dust-reduction
Single-Cable operation

It'll double as a daytime camera that's much better than what I already have (cell phones have more megapixels)
I can start learning to take scenic astrophotos without the worry of telescopes and tracking, etc. and then upgrade to attaching it to a telescope.

So, for a modest $450, it fit the budget well, allowing me to take scenic pictures on a tripod and Deep-Sky images through the Celestron SCT. I'll probably try it through the EON refractor, too, just to see what happens. Most of the info came from http://www.astropix.com/HTML/I_ASTROP/CAMERAS.HTM
I did get a zoom lens as well, which will likely be used.

Needed: T-ring adapter for attachment to the scope
Adapter for >30 sec. exposure

Plans

So what's the plan for using this stuff?

1. Use a tripod and figure out how to take pictures of sunsets (with the Moon and Venus, etc.) using the DSLR
2. Get good at that
3. Practice using EON refractor
   
4. Take pictures of planets through the EON refractor using the DSLR
5. Figure out how to process the images
   
6. Take pictures of planets through the EON refractor using the CCD Cameras
7. Figure out how to process the images
8. Do the same with the Celestron SCT

Equipment List

So what do I have to take Astrophotos with?

Canon EOS Rebel XS (a.k.a. 1000D) SLR Digital Camera
18-55mm IS Lens

Canon Zoom Telephoto EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 III Autofocus Lens
Canon EOS Camera T-ring for Astrophotography
1.25" Universal Camera Adapter

Orion StarShoot Solar System Color Imager III



Orion StarShoot Planetary Imager and AutoGuider

Orion Sirius EON 120ED EQ-G GoTo Refractor



Orion SkyQuest XT10i Computerized IntelliScope



and an old Celestron SCT that looks a lot like this...

First Entry: Purpose & Introduction

I teach astronomy to high school seniors. I am also an amateur astronomer...a very, VERY amateur astronomer.

I received an email today with some great links for places where students can get pictures without copyright issues. I looked for some pictures of the moon, planets, or stars and couldn't find any that weren't taken by satellites or major research telescopes.

I also just received a grant that allowed me to purchase astronomy equipment for our planetarium. As part of the equipment I purchased both a CCD camera and a DSLR.

I plan on learning astrophotography and then using that knowledge to teach some of my students about it. I will use this blog to track the progress that I make and I guess serve as an information source for others who are learning astrophotography.

For now though, I am just waiting for the go-ahead to order the equipment.

Next post will likely be an equipment list, etc.