You could spend serious time at this site. A great site for astrophotography. David Malin has taken the overwhelming majority of fabulous astronomical photos you've seen. Pioneer of true color astrophotography. Astro III look at techincal stuff link.
Site describes in good detail the basics of CCD cameras.
These are digital cameras that have some advantages over the traditional. Written month by month from Abrams Planetarium, this highlights different things that you can watch for in the sky. If your having trouble with what to look for in the sky, this can give you a good start. Publisher of the Astronomical Journal and the Astrophysical Journal which are the premier research journals in astronomy. Site offers lots of varied opportunities.