Smartphone Astrophotography: In 6 Steps [Infographic]

Interested in creating photos like this using smartphone astrophotography?  This list has six of my overall steps.  Including those I’ve used to create this photo of Saturn and are easy for you to adopt.  Try this and let me know your results.  Clear and dark skies!

Smartphone Astrophotography Infographic

Equipment: What tools Do you Need?

Just about everyone in the world has a smartphone on them. Look around you, there’s one right there. The phone is probably the easy first step. Next acquire a phone adapter for your telescope eyepieces. Holding it steady is important to get that important photograph in smartphone astrophotography. Finally a telescope. A great first choice is a reflector, or dobsonian telescope.

You’ll Need an App for Smartphone Astrophotography

Most phones come with photography software. They do not allow you to adjust camera settings like exposure length or ISO. I recommend Camera FV-5 for Android and NightCap is a good iOS app. Your smartphone age may also contribute to what you can change as far as settings, so check to make sure there is an available app that works with your phone.

Simple Capture or All The Way?

You have a choice: snap a quick photo and share or achieve a fully post processed astrophotography photo. I started with the quick photo then progressed into the complete hours long processing workflow. There’s a lot involved in the longer version. You have to capture a lot of photos to include: photos of the object, flats, darks, and bias frames. Some of this can also be done with video. I suggest taking your time and gradually increasing in complexity.