Night Shots...How to?

I have seen some beautiful photos taken during the night...some with the stars streaking across the sky, which means they just left the camera open for a very long time, but does anyone know what exposure, film speed, aperture one would need to get the stars shining on the film but not streaking?

Thanks,
Christine

My reason for traveling....capturing the essence of the working people of America! www.workingintheusa.com

As far as the exposure times goes, I wouldn't shoot any longer than a 3 minute shutter speed. Any longer and you'll see the stars moving. (There's a reason why you rarely see star photographs that are just small pin points) Couple that with an f stop of at least 2.8, and a film speed hopefully faster than 800. This is all quite subjective though, as conditions vary widely. If I were you though I'd look into learning how to do star trails. There is nary a cooler effect with a long shutter speed, and certainly something that will set you apart from the 'Point and Click Masses'. The key here is bracketing. Take one shot at 10 minutes, one at twenty, forty, etc. Bracket the aperture as well, as the larger the aperture (f22+) the sharper the photograph. Feel free to email me if you have any questions, I have quite a lot of experience with the subject.