Where do I go from here?

[Solarus]

I have a Meade LX200 EMC Telescope that my parents bought over 10 years ago for my grandfather who loved astronomy. Unfortunately, he passed away before they could ever figure out how to use it. We've thought about selling it, but I convinced my parents to keep it. Now it is sitting in my bedroom collecting dust, and we still have no clue how to operate it. I also have a Sony DSC-H1 camera and a Macbook Pro laptop. I like the art of photography and would love to get into astrophotography, particularly deep sky objects. Maybe I could even impress some friends with my new hobby!

My first question is, will my Sony camera be good enough or should I look into something better? I don't mind investing money into the right digital camera. My second question is, where do I go from here? How do I operate the telescope, how do I hook up my camera and laptop, etc.?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[JohnnyD333]

If you have any interest in Astronomy, keep the scope. First thing you should do is read the instructions. Here is a link I found on the scope.

Meade Instruments Corporation - Meade LX200 Instruction Manuals

This scope should give you great views of planets and DSOs. I also recommend purchasing a book on astonomy, especially if you want to get into photography. Your camera is not a DSLR so you are limited in what you can do. Afocal photos are really your best option. But before you go out and buy an expensive camera, you need to do your research. Photography has a steep leaning curve and will require more than just the camera.

I would learn about the scope and do some observing sessions. If you get bitten by the imaging bug, start using a webcam on planets. If you want to go deeper, then look into investing in guidescopes, DSLRs, focal reducers etc. Best to take it one step at a time.