my best friend has been a photographer for almost 25 years and hes done a lot of jobs for nasa. hes shot some incredible stuff over the years and he really knows photo equipment. i will get back to you on this one.

Depends on your level of skill and what you plan on doing with it. A telescope is only as useful as its mount - the higher the magnification, the truer this becomes. A telescope mount not only steadies the telescope, it also allows the telescope to follow stars and planets as they move across the night sky. When seen in the eyepiece of a telescope, stars and planets move slowly across the field of view in the eyepiece and disappear (because the telescope magnifies the earth's rotation, not because the stars move). To keep the object centered in the eyepiece, the telescope must be moved constantly. This is done in a number of ways, depending on the telescope mount The most important piece is the mount which there are a few to choose from, the most popular are: Altazimuth mounts,Dobsonian mounts, Equatorial mounts,German Equatorial mounts(this is what I use and are most common) or Fork Mount (which are generally used for astrophotography). Dobsonian mount are great for beginners check out http://www.opticsplanet.net/how-to-buy-a-telescope.html

well heres your answer. this is coming from my friend who has shot photos for nasa through their large telescopes ~ very fascinating process by the way. but i digress ~ for the amateur astrophotographer he recommends film camera, not digital due to the low light sensitivity. the photo quality is far superior with a film camera. he said that any camera will do ~ but he recommended canons & nikons & hasselblads. hasselblads are a bit pricey ~ but the photo quality is stellar (so to speak). he also recommended ektachrome film. store it in the fridge ~ i keep mine in a crisper drawer and it lasts for years. he also recommended a 8" or 10" telescope with a tripod-german equatorial mount. you will also need a camera adaptor. if you do decide to go digital, he recommends the canon d1 mark ii with single lens reflex. he uses that one on a lot of his jobs. he loves his hasselblad too ~ but i think its $40k base price (without the lenses!). when you shoot, he recommended leaving the shutter open for 30 seconds to 1 minute. set the lens to an f/11 aperture setting. if you have any other questions feel free to shoot them my way~ hes always happy to help.