Newbie question for slr cameras

Hey guys,

I am interested in purchasing a new camera that will let me image astronomy stuff as well as take nice daytime photos of the family and landscapes. I briefly owned the sac 7b ccd but did not have the right setup and could not justify the money for such a one trick pony. I have stumbled upon the canon eos series and like the capabilities of the 5d for its' wide field and mega-pixels, but I really am not sure what attributes to look for in a slr for astro imaging. Aside from mega pixels what else should I look for? The 5d is a bit out of my price range unless I find a great deal on a used one. My wife has a digital camera with a 1024x986 pixel array and it seems adequate enough, but it is "her" camera and I am not to go prancing off into the night with it. What else should I look for in a camera? Is there one out there that is geared more for astro imaging than others? Any and all brands/suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Todd

The Eos Rebel is a great astro camera.

Whatever you do, go for something that has an interchangeable lens (a DSLR) rather than a point and shoot. That gives you a ton more flexibility and power.

The number of pixels is important if you plan to print large or crop. Otherwise, realize that the biggest image you will see most of the time is your computer screen, which is in the neighborhood of 1200 across its widest dimension.

Alex