A few questions about Digital Astro-photography

I'd like to buy a Nikon Coolpix 5000 and I have a few questions.

1. Any books available on digital astrophotography?

2. Should I try piggyback wide field astrophotography before
prime-focus afocal digital astro-photography.

3. What effect does light pollution or moon have on digital astro-photography?

4. Can I use my laptop computer to focus the camera?

Thanks,

Debbie

I have played around with a Coolpix 995, but there are problems associated with digital cameras, mainly cooling. Paul Hyndman has a novel solution (pack the camera with ice), but otherwise you would be well served getting a dedicated CCD, unless you want the Coolpix for normal use anyway and the astrophotos are a bonus. That being said, there are pretty amazing things being posted with Canon D60's, well amazing for a digital camera, anyway.

The best approach is to buy a Digi-T or similar adapter (Scopetronix makes the Digi-T, but they charge too much, there might be other makers of camera adapters). Then you can hook the camera right to the telescope in minutes.

Try the planets first, since that is where digital cameras and webcams work the best. Or try the moon. Piggyback shots can't collect enough light to be interesting before noise problems creep up. Plus, moon and planet work is completely unaffected by light pollution.