Mobile

A mobile phone is a great device for people who are looking to get into astrophotography. It is a device that most people already have, and it is a device that is easy to use. The camera on a mobile phone is also capable of taking great pictures of the night sky, provided you know how to. And, you’re in luck because this page will teach you how to take great pictures of the night sky with your mobile phone.

Before we go about shooting the heavens, you need to know that a decent enough phone should do the job pretty well and there is no need to buy an expensive mobile phone that has a great camera (although it would be nice to have one).

If it is your first time shooting the night sky, consider purchasing a tripod for your mobile phone. It will make your life a lot easier, on top of giving you better results. Tripods as low as 300 INR are available on popular e-commerce websites such as Amazon and Flipkart at the time of writing.

Pro-Mode

Nearly all the smartphones released now-a-days come with a pro-mode in their camera app. Although you might have a night mode as well in your camera, it’s generally shit for astrophotography. This mode allows you to control the camera settings manually, which is a must for astrophotography.

ISO

ISO is the sensitivity of the camera sensor to light. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive the sensor is to light. This means that the higher the ISO, the brighter the image will be. However, higher ISOs also introduce noise into the image. Noise is the grainy texture that you see in images taken at high ISOs.

The ISO value that you should use depends on the amount of light pollution in your area. If you are in a city, you should use a lower ISO value, and if you are in a rural area, you can consider using a higher ISO value.

Shutter Speed

Shutter speed is the amount of time that the camera shutter is open for. The longer the shutter is open, the more light the camera sensor will capture. This means that the longer the shutter is open, the brighter the image will be. However, longer shutter speeds also introduce star trails into the image. You can combat star trails by using an auto-tracking mount.

Aperture

Aperture refers to the size of the opening in the lens through which light passes to reach the camera sensor. It is measured in f-stops. A lower f-stop number indicates a larger aperture, which allows more light to enter the camera. This results in a brighter image.

Focus

Focus controls the distance at which the objects need to be in order for them to be in focus. For astrophotography, since the objects are too far, maximum focus (\(\infty\)) is usually recommended.

As Oscar Wilde said, “with age comes wisdom”. Often times, the mobile you’re using will have some non-ideal control over its hardware. With the added fact that the stars you’re shooting will be at a finite distance and not infinity, in practice, it is better to set your focus a tad before \(\infty\). You’ll get better results that way.

Timer

Timer will be your best friend when shooting the night sky. It will help you avoid camera shake that occurs when you click the shutter button, which is the biggest enemy of astrophotography. Most mobile phones have a timer feature built into their camera app. Usually a timer of 5 seconds should be good to dampen the oscillations enough to capture a good image.

A good rule of thumb is that while attempting astrophotography using a mobile phone, start by increasing your aperture. If that doesn’t yield satisfactory results, try increasing your shutter speed. If that still is unable to produce the images you want, increase your ISO, as slowly as possible.