I just purchased a Canon XL1S digital video camera for making independent films. So far I'm trying everything with this camera. One thing I'd like to try is a time lapse of the night sky some place clear of light pollution near Vancouver, B.C. What I'd like to get is something close to "Baraka" which had a nice star movement against the background of the land.

Has anyone tried this before with a DV camera?

All I know to do right now is to set the aperature as wide as possible for as much light as possible. I also want to take an interval of 1 second every 10 seconds. Later, I can fix any mistakes in Premiere.

Unfortunately, I currently only have the standard 16x lens.

I read elsewhere here that I may need to rig this with a telescope. I may know people who have the right telescopes. If so, what kind would be good? What kind of rigging is necessary? I actually would rather forego the telescope but I'm worried that I won't be able to image anything without better light gathering.