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Astrophotography: How to capture the sky with your phone

12:00
22 January 2023

Astrophotography
How to capture the sky with your phone

iPhone photography by Weather & Radar Meteorologist Tamsin Green.iPhone photography by Weather & Radar Meteorologist Tamsin Green.

With the upcoming green comet, did you know you can take just as great astrophotography on your smartphone?

The green comet is approaching Earth and is due to pass us later this month, making it a once in a lifetime opportunity. It will even be visible to the naked eye, making it the perfect chance for amateur photographers to get involved.

You might assume that it is only possible to capture stars in the night sky through professional camera equipment, but we're here to tell you that you can take just as great shots with your smartphones.

It's simple, all you have to do is follow these steps:

  • Grab your smartphone! It'll need a fairly decent camera

  • Use a phone tripod if you have one handy, if not, it is possible to rest your phone on a sturdy surface instead

  • On your camera;

    • On iPhones, select the Night Mode icon and slide all the way to the longest capture time of around 10 seconds

    • On Samsung Galaxy, swipe to tape More, then Night

    • On Google Pixel, tap Night Sight, there is even a specific Astrophotography mode too

    • On Sony, tap the Night Shooting icon

    • On Xiaomi, enable Night Mode, you can also manually adjust features yourself via 'More' > 'Exposition Prolonged'

    • On Huawei, select Night Mode

  • After, you can edit the photo to bring the stars out more, especially if there is any light pollution interfering. This can be done by increasing the Black Point and lifting Shadows.

If you do grab any spectacular shots of the sky, be sure to send them in to our dedicated uploader for us to feature!

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