Note on astrophotography

Just so we are clear: I don't know the first thing about as­tro­pho­tog­ra­phy, and I'm not being modest! Astrophotography is terribly dif­fi­cult, and it takes quite a lot of fancy material to get started, not to mention the cold and darkness—or is it?
Well, the part about cold and darkness is quite true, but it is also part of the magic of astronomy. I would not change all those hours alone in the cold of the wilderness for the world! Not that I enjoy freezing, mind you, but astronomy, like mountain climbing, creates a bond with nature that can really change one's perspective of life, and that is saying a lot of any activity. 
Astronauts are known to enjoy a similar experience—albeit at a different level, I assume—and it even has a name: the Overview effect. Instead of my trying to explain it to you, you may listen to real astronauts talking about it in this beautiful short film:
Here you have the official site for the movie and also the Overview Institute site, with very nice astronaut quotes.
So, as I was saying, astrophotography is difficult but, even if you don't have the right material and you lack the experience, you can get pretty nice pictures. You probably won't make it to National Geographic, but what's that if they make you happy and get you some nice compliments from your friends? More importantly, just trying to get good pictures can get you to wonderful places and experiences, so I really encourage you to give it a try. Don't worry about technique, don't worry about material, don't feel ashamed to do what is wrong. As long as it is safe, do it. In this site I will try to show you some point-and-shoot pictures that made me happy—and so may inspire you—and I will also share some very low-tech advice as an introduction to astrophotography. I hope you enjoy it.