I would not start with a CCD. I'd muck about with your Nikon to get a feel for iAP, and invest in a webcam designed for AP, which is really useful for imaging the moon and planets (as is the DSLR, for the moon and sun at least). You can use a Barlow to zoom your webcam on the moon. For planetary work on the webcam, you can get by fine with alt-az tracking.
Basically, I'd suggest taking baby steps, and gradually build up your AP kit as you learn the ropes. That is what I'm doing for AP right now, after being a long-time visual-only guy!
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