Photography of the night sky is both simple and enjoyable. Your basic equipment requirements are:

• single lens reflex camera with a bulb setting ("B") on the shutter speed. Many automatic cameras lack this but it is very common on older, manual cameras. Often a good manual camera can be purchased at a used camera shop for under $100.
• Any color slide or print film ISO (speed) 400 or greater will perform well. Fujichrome and Kodak are always "good bets".
• A cable release for the shutter is a good idea.
• A sturdy tripod (not necessarily a "fancy" one) is essential
• If you have a digital camera with manual settings and capable of 5 - 30 s exposures then it's even easier! In fact, digital cameras, unlike film , do not suffer from "reciprocity failure" which is a drop in film efficiency under low-light and long exposure conditions.

1. Un-guided:. This is the simplest method and can be used to produce dramatic star trails, pictures of constellations, meteors or northern lights. To use this method all you need to do is load a suitable film, focus at infinity, and shoot! Typical exposures are:
• For aurora (northern lights): 5 s to 30 s depending on the speed of the film, brightness of the aurora and the brightness of the sky. If the aurora is very bright and moving rapidly you will want to limit the exposures to 5 - 10 s to avoid blurring. Focus at infinity and set the aperture ("f-stop") wide open (f/2 is typical).
• For constellations: 20 - 30 s exposure with a 50 mm lens at f/2. Note, if the sky is very bright due to city lights or moon you may wish to either shorten the exposure or increase the aperture setting on the lens. Avoid much longer exposures as this will lead to streaked images (i.e.: star trails)
• Star trails and meteors: Set the camera in a safe place away from nocturnal visitors (human or otherwise). Set the aperture at about f/4 or f/5.6 and leave the lens open for anywhere from 5 minutes to 5 hours depending on sky conditions. This will produce dramatic shots if you are in a dark sky and "crud!" if you are close to a large city. The same procedure is used for meteor pictures.
  
  
2. Eyepiece Projection: It is easy to take pictures of the moon through the eyepiece of any telescope. Simply focus at infinity, set the shutter at a fast setting (1/60 - 1/200 s) and the lens wide open. Carefully point the camera into the eyepiece (avoid scratching the lens against the eyepiece!), center in the view finder and click! This may require a few attempts but can yield spectacular results.
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4. Guided Exposures: Normally this requires sophisticated equipment to move your camera at the same rate as the stars appear to drift. You can expect to spend anywhere from $75 to $500 for additional equipment If you are still interested in pursuing this more information can be supplied. You would use this method for long time exposures without star drifting.