hedwards: That's good to know, I suspect that I can get a T-mount of sorts that would thread into a 67mm filter mount, but figuring out how to support the camera like that without damaging the mount could prove to be tricky.
EDIT: I do see some DIY options that would seem to do the job just fine.
Dischord: Since magnification isn't really an issue for non-local celestial bodies, iphone has a good app (if you have one) that utilizes the gps functions of the iphone to identify your observations, based on location, and even save them if you desire.
Not sure if it is available for other platforms, but can at least give you some idea of the magnitude range you can observe naked eye in your location, as well as basic info about the celestial body itself.
I do not work for this place, nor am I in anyway involved with them, but if it sounds interesting, the link below will take you to their webpage.
http://vitotechnology.com/star-walk.html I'm tempted to bring my Nexus One to China because it comes with an app that does just that. I can't get much use out of it locally, but I point it at the sky and the GPS and gyro identify what it is that I'm seeing. It's kind of cool and probably very similar to what you're talking about.
Unfortunately locally I can pretty much just see Mars, Venus and the Big Dipper. That and some of the other bright stars.
Nroug7: Actually, this is an interesting question, I bought mine for $1500, came with a great set of lens and it is good for multipurpose, however i haven't pulled it out for quite a while. Check what you get with the telescope, This is essential. A telescope is no good if you don't have the right equipment. oh, and some stuff now is computerized (Comes with a remote) which is a pretty handy feature. ultimately, getting one second hand is the best bet, but check the model name on the internet and do some research.
Plus i was thinking of selling my telescope, then i noticed a dent about 1 centimeters wide and 0.5 centimeters deep after i moved into a new house. bad experience, be careful with who you pick to transport your stuff.
^ Also, if anyone knows if this will greatly affect the selling price or not, would you kindly tell me? Thanks.
My guess is that any damage of any sort is going to cause some depreciation, but the amount is probably going to depend a great deal on the location of the damage and the type of telescope. Damage like that isn't necessarily going to make any difference optically if it's not in the way of the light.
That being said, an astronomy specific forum is going to be a much better place to ask.
