the night sky

[kevin512]

I want to take pictures of the night sky (the stars). I have a Canon Rebel XT. I took some pictures on a dark night (30 sec at f3.5-4). Some came out blurry and slightly redish. The moon was not out and I was in the middle of no where (Cold Mt. NC).

Is it possible to have an exposure longer than 30 sec (other than using bulb). Can I program my camera to have longer shutter speeds?

[Rhys]

You must use a cable release for that. Be aware that at night I have made 3 hour exposures before now (with a film camera).

If you're taking sky photos then unless you mount your camera on a motarised equitorial mount then the stars will appear as streaks. The moon has a different orbit and moves faster.