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Smartphone Astrophotography

Smartphone Basic Astrophotography Setup.

    • These steps provide a basic setup to enable your smartphone to take pictures of the milky way.
    • There are other ways to accomplish the same goal using other apps or techniques. Please use what ever method works best for you.
    • There may be some variations in the steps or screen shots depending on the software version and phone model. But the general principle should work on most phones.
    • If possible use a remote to take the pictures. This will greatly reduce the movement of the camera and produce clear focused images. At the Start Party please ask one of the volunteer astronomers if a BlueTooth remote is available. If you have an iPhone and Apple Watch, use the watch built-in camera remote.

IMPORTANT! – all the methods below require the phone to be mounted on a stable platform (such as a tripod). When the phone detects stability the astrophotography options will be available.  

 

iPhone Astrophotography Instructions:

Setup:

    1. Put phone on tripod with cell-phone adapter. Point to a target on the horizon to line up the shot
    2. Open the camera app
    3. Set magnification 1X (no magnification)
    4. Set picture type to PHOTO ( i.e. not portrait, etc)

Settings:

    1. Settings at the top of the iPhone :
      • flash OFF
      • night mode is available (yellow button with moon)
      • Live Photo is OFF (far right)
    2. Click arrow symbol ‘^’ on center top (pictured in figure above)
    3. Choose the yellow night mode moon (see figure below)
    4. Slide the image timer all the way right, and wait for extended time ( 30 s) to appear. Note: The 30 second timer will not be available if the camera is not steady.

Start the image:

    • Gently touch the shutter button or use a remote. Do not move the camera. Wait for the long exposure to finish. If you have an Apple Watch use the remote camera button on the watch.

Experiment with the zoom and image timer.

Enjoy!

 

Astrophotography Mode on Samsung Galaxy S21 and later

    • Prerequisite:
      • This procedure requires the use of the “expert RAW” app from the Galaxy app store. (It’s free.)

Setup:

    1. Stabilize the camera on a tripod or other solid, braced position.
      • Astrophotography mode will not be accessible if the camera is not still.
    2. Open the camera app.

Settings:

    1. Choose the “more” tab from the menu at the lower part of the screen (you may have to scroll right to see it. If you don’t see the “more” please make sure you installed the “expert RAW” app.).
    2. Choose “expert RAW”.
    3. Find the constellation icon (usually upper right of screen). Tap it to open the astrophotography settings.
    4. Choose long “Capture time” for sharper images.
    5. If you want help in identifying what planets and constellations are located in the direction you are aiming, tap “sky guide” and “show”.
    6. Tap the X to collapse the option screen.

Start the image:

    • Gently touch the shutter button or use a remote. Do not move the camera. Wait for the long exposure to finish. A countdown timer will appear, along with an increasing circle around the shutter button. Wait a few seconds after the timer goes to zero and the image will be ready.

Experiment with the zoom and image timer.

Enjoy!

Astrophotography Mode on a Google Pixel

Setup:

    1. Place the phone on a tripod or solid surface. Phone must be stable!
    2. Open the camera app.

Settings:

    1. Set “Night Sight”.
      • Tap “Night Sight” from the menu at the bottom of the screen.
      • Note: the center shutter button while in “night sight” mode is a moon.
    2. Set the image timer.
      • Tap the timer icon (crescent  moon) on the bottom menu lower right.
      • Select the slider to adjust the timer to the desired time.
      • Slide all the way to the right to set the max time of 4 minutes.
      • Note: the shutter button will have a “5” on it indicating the number of seconds to delay before starting the image.

Start the image:

    • Tap the shutter (the “5”) or use a remote. Do not move the camera. Wait for the long exposure to finish.
    • The long exposure image will begin. Your Pixel will take 16-second pictures and “stack” (merge) them together. The number of pictures depends the timer setting.
    • You will see a countdown timer indicating the amount of time left. (You can also enable an audio cue when it is done in the settings).

Experiment with the zoom and image timer.

Enjoy!

 

Astrophotography Mode on a Google Pixel

Setup: 

    1. Place the phone on a tripod or solid surface. Phone must be stable!
    2. Open the camera app.
    3. Set “Night Sight”.
      • Tap “Night Sight” from the menu at the bottom of the screen.
      • Note: the center shutter button while in “night sight” mode should change to a constellation of stars once “astrophotography” mode has been activated and camera is stable.
    4. Open the Settings ( Gear button lower left)
  1. Settings: 
    1. Tun on “Astrophotography” mode.
      • From the first category, astrophotography, tap the right button to turn astrophotography on.
    2. Pull down on the settings screen to return to the camera screen.
    3. The shutter button in “night sight” mode is a moon. If the camera is perfectly still, the moon will change to a constellation of stars to indicate astrophotography mode is active.

Start the image:

      • Tap the shutter gently or use a remote. Do not move the camera. Wait for the long exposure to finish.
      • The long exposure image will begin. Your Pixel will take multiple pictures and “stack” (merge) them together. The number of pictures depends the timer setting.
      • You will see a countdown timer indicating the amount of time left. (You can also enable an audio cue when it is done in the settings).

Experiment with the zoom and image timer.

Enjoy!