The star trails aren't necessary but I can see how they can be done in Premiere. I'm more after the "Baraka" look where the landscape stays still but you can see the stars movement in the background.

Hi,

to achieve your goal you would be best off by getting hold of a 8" or larger Newtonian telescope and rigging the XL-1 to the eyepiece holder (not an easy task). Then point the scope at the horizon and don't touch a thing. I know the Pinnacle DV300 had a time lapse function that would allow the use of a 1 hour tape rather than 8 hours...there must be other products around.

I have seen excellent planetary images captured through a 10" Meade scope mounted on a motorised equatorial mount (allows for the tracking of a celestial object) and the XL-1. A smaller DV cam would be a lot easier.

The larger the scope the more light gathering power and hence the brighter the image. Full moon through a 8" Newtonian can be uncomfotable bright for the eyes. Scopes are also like lenses and are rated by F stop. The one I built was an F8 1825mm focul length. When you get a decent F4 man the stuff you see is so bright.

Go find some scope sights.

Cheers
Andrew

Whoah. That's a lot of gear.

Perhaps I should try to contact my local stargazers club to see if they can assist...

Now ya talking,

Generaly stargazers are nutters..(don't tell them that). Seriously have have a passion for their craft and I would not be surprised if some are nor already rigged for your requirement. Some will definitely be rigged for 35mm stills.

Good thinking

Cheers
Andrew

It might be cheaper and easier to just get a particle filter / plug-in for your NLE and just fake it. <g>

Well yeah I could do it in Maya too but that's not really the point. :) I want to get the true star movements from a certain point in Vancouver. :)

Anyway, I've already got an idea who to hook up with. He is a REAL stargazer enthusiast who actually sells all kinds of telescopes including the Newtonian one that was mentioned upthread.

Well, if you insist on doing it the hard way, Keith... <g>

Sky & Telescope Magazine has a section of tips that might lead you to good stuff.

http://skyandtelescope.com/howto/imaging/default.asp