Advice sought on choosing a camera for a Meade LX10 I have a Meade LX10 and have never done any astrophotography (except with some computerised SBIG ST9s on my university's LX200s). I would like to get started at home, but could do with some advice on which low budget camera would be suitable, obtainable in the UK and preferably under £100. Do I need a DSLR? I've seen people posting pics of Jupiter from their webcam, but I would like to target a wider selection of targets (starscapes, nebulae, galaxies, HH objects, etc.) How do I attach it to the back of the 'scope? Can I computer-control the motor from a MacBook Pro? Any other advice would also be welcomed.
 A: A DSLR will allow you to do both prime focus astrophotography and wide field pictures with a piggyback adapter, while a dedicated camera will only allow prime focus pictures. Both can be used toward the targets you mention, but the size of the sensor will affect the apparent focal length of your telescope, as the sensor reduces its size the apparent focal length of the telescope increases.
Most dedicated CCD cameras will simply require the standard eyepiece adapter, while a DSLR will require a T-adapter and a T-Ring. The standard T-Adapter of Meade (#62 T-ADAPTER #07352) may fit your telescope, the T-Ring should be designed for the DSLR and will take the place of the lens of the camera, the T-adapter and the t-ring have a standard thread for connection, both systems support the use of the focuser of the LX10.
A: http://www.go-astronomy.com/telescopes/ccd-cameras.htm has a list of reputable CCD makers. There should be plenty of models available in your price range, though I don't have any experience with amateur-grade astrophotography. Each should make adapter kits to mount their cameras onto the common scopes out there, such as Meades, if they don't mount right out of the box.
http://astronomyonline.org/AstronomySoftware.asp has a list of software available, including telescope control programs. They even have a section dedicated to Mac software.
