• Purchase the most ridiculously large telescope you can afford and install it in your backyard. This lets your neighbors know you have sky-high aspirations and a lens to match.

• Get a camera that lets you crank up the ISO to unconscionably high levels. This'll produce lots of noise in your images but makes for a handy excuse for any less-than-stellar results: "It's not sensor noise, it's star noise!"

• Spend long hours in the dark gazing upward and complaining about light pollution. Even if you live out in the boondocks, there's always some distant illuminated civilization marring your views and precision-focused complaints.

• Develop an obsession with tracking down elusive deep-sky objects. "M104, M109, show yourselves! I know you're out there, hiding among the stars!" The hunt can take all night but that's ideal for this hobby.

• Join online astrophotography forums and brag about your imaging rig and targets acquired. The only thing as vast as the cosmos is the astronomical egos of fellow 'astro-photogs.' Outdo them all!

• Most importantly, remember that astrophotography is less about taking pictures and more about embracing the night. So have fun and may the stars shine brightly on your new obsession!
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