How to photograph planets with an iPhone

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-18 01:29

An amateur astronomer and part-time photographer, Andrew Simes shared the secrets of capturing celestial bodies on iPhone. He takes incredible pictures that few people can leave indifferent. In his experience, the quality of the cameras of modern smartphones quite allows you to shoot the moon and even planets, however, not without the help of a telescope.

In the absence of funds for expensive high-quality equipment, a smartphone can be a starting point for a novice astrophotographer, as well as a useful assistant for experienced astronomers who need to take pictures with a minimum of equipment in their pocket.

You will need:

• Smartphone adapter. The easiest way to take a picture is to bring your smartphone camera to the telescope and press a button. But the result of such a procedure will not always be able to please you. At the very least, it will be very difficult for you to center the subject. A simple adapter allows you to easily attach a smartphone to the telescope, then stabilize the camera, center the subject on the screen, and get the right focus and exposure. Similar adapters for the iPhone are produced by many companies, including Orion. Among its products you will find a universal adapter that should fit most smartphones on the market.

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  Optical filters. The iPhone's camera has excellent resolution, but even with current exposure control, it is unlikely to be able to display the subtle planetary features. To capture all the details, you will need to use optical filters (like Moon filter) and / or color filters to reduce the brightness of the subject. It's great if you have multiple filters at your disposal. With some you can shoot the full moon, with others the moon at dusk. When photographing Jupiter, an optical filter will allow you to display all of its details. Without it, the planet will look bright, even overexposed. With the help of the Moon filter, you can remove this brightness and add eye-pleasing details. But when shooting Saturn, you can use a blue filter. It will give the planet an unnatural bluish tint, but it will emphasize the rings around the planet that will not be visible when using the Moon filter.

Programs for processing images. Sometimes it is not enough just to take a couple of pictures to convey the true beauty of the planet. Sometimes, it is better to shoot a short video, and then combine the best shots into one shot in a special program. On the Stargazers Lounge website, you can find a great tutorial for aspiring photographers with detailed collations. AutoStakkert, Registax and AviStack are popular tools for doing this. To get the same results, you can load the video into Keith's Image Stacker. Apart from that, it is also a good idea to use other special processing programs like NightCap or Camera +.

Practice. As with any job, it takes practice to get results. Don't be discouraged if your first attempts fall far short of Andrew Simes' creations. Experiment with filters, programs, your success will depend on your vision. The same methods can give completely different results depending on the day and your mood.

You can enjoy great pictures of Andrew Simes by visiting his Flickr page. If you use these tips and take stunning pictures of celestial bodies - send them to us in the comments, we will love your creations with pleasure!