I have always been interested in astronomy, and this December I will be traveling through parts of the country with little light to no light pollution, and would like to do some basic astrophotography; stars, constellations, the planets, maybe some star trails (I know, not really astrophotography). At the moment, I'm planning to do the photography with a Nikon D70, and have been researching telescopes, mostly what I can find on Craigslist for under $1000, which means Maksutov-Cassegrain telescopes <= 8" (I want a reflector). Any recommendations along these lines would be helpful (I'll certainly consider Newtonian or other reflectors).
Part 2 of my question is regarding the D70, and specifically, getting decently long exposures. It's got a bulb mode which I've made liberal use of in the past for star trails (Yosemite is a great place for this); however, occasionally, my not completely steady pressure on the camera, despite the tripod, ruined a few several-minute exposures. So my questions: a) can the bulb mode be changed to a timer mode (press the button once to start, press again to stop), b) if not, would the wireless remote Nikon sells be of help, and c) am I overlooking any options here.
Thanks.
Part 2 of my question is regarding the D70, and specifically, getting decently long exposures. It's got a bulb mode which I've made liberal use of in the past for star trails (Yosemite is a great place for this); however, occasionally, my not completely steady pressure on the camera, despite the tripod, ruined a few several-minute exposures. So my questions: a) can the bulb mode be changed to a timer mode (press the button once to start, press again to stop), b) if not, would the wireless remote Nikon sells be of help, and c) am I overlooking any options here.
Thanks.