ABSTRACT
When I was planning the chapters on equipment selection, I wondered how to go about it in a logical way. In my case, I started off by buying an entire used outfit and basically played with it. Over time I worked out what to keep, upgrade, change or modify. Looking back, I might have rationalized the essential requirements for astrophotography and then made more sense of the overwhelming equipment choice. It is very easy to deviate into exciting details and lose sight of the bigger picture. What follows is a mixture of practical considerations and more technical qualities that you look for when you choose and setup equipment. The themes noted here resonate through later chapters and become a guiding influence on system setup. Some of these terms may be unfamiliar at present but will be explained later. These requirements broadly group into three areas: planning, equipment and imaging essentials.
