How Can You Capture Stunning Moon Photos with a Remote Control?

  • Context: Stargazing 
  • Thread starter Thread starter PhysicsEnjoyer31415
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SUMMARY

Capturing stunning moon photos requires specific equipment and techniques. Users recommend the Celestron PowerSeeker 50AZ refractor for optimal results. For smartphone photography, the Open Camera app is suggested for Android users to manually control ISO and shutter speed. Additionally, using a smartphone/telescope adapter and a remote control for shooting can significantly enhance image stability and quality.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of telescope types, specifically the Celestron PowerSeeker 50AZ refractor
  • Familiarity with smartphone camera apps, particularly Open Camera for Android
  • Knowledge of photography techniques, especially regarding moon phases and exposure settings
  • Experience with smartphone/telescope adapters for stable shooting
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the features and benefits of the Celestron PowerSeeker 50AZ refractor
  • Explore the Open Camera app for Android and its manual control settings
  • Investigate different smartphone/telescope adapter options and their compatibility
  • Learn about remote control options for smartphone photography to minimize shake
USEFUL FOR

Amateur astronomers, photography enthusiasts, and anyone interested in capturing high-quality moon images with minimal equipment.

PhysicsEnjoyer31415
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TL;DR
These are some photos of the moon from back in January end , i apologize for the quality i do not have appropriate gear for astrophotography , i only have a cheap telescope. This is a full moon , the cuts in the photos are due to my hand moving during photographing because i work on a mobile setup :( but enjoy . Thank you
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Given your minimal rig, aside from the final photo, you caught the mare (seas) quite well.
 
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Klystron said:
Given your minimal rig, aside from the final photo, you caught the mare (seas) quite well.
Thank you👍
 
Did you use a refractor?
 
Drakkith said:
Did you use a refractor?
Yes a celstron powerseeker 50az refractor
 
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Here's a collage of photos I took a while back with my old Cannon PowerShot SX510 HS (30x zoom)
moon_collage.JPG
 
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Janus said:
Here's a collage of photos I took a while back with my old Cannon PowerShot SX510 HS (30x zoom)
View attachment 346272
Nice
 
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PhysicsEnjoyer31415 said:
Yes a celestron powerseeker 50az refractor
Awesome start :smile: photographing a full moon is difficult being so bright the image gets over exposed as you can see and that makes seeing details difficult.
do some experimenting with smaller phases of the moon, like with first and last quarter. It's then much easier to photo the crater details, particularly along terminator line ( the line between the lit and unlit parts)

eg ....
1717279856047.png
 
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PhysicsEnjoyer31415 said:
This is a full moon , the cuts in the photos are due to my hand moving during photographing because i work on a mobile setup :( but enjoy .

@davenn gave a good suggestion above, and I'd like to chime in too... :smile:

1) Which type of phone are you using (i.e. Android or Iphone)?

If you use an Android phone I would suggest a camera app that can be set manually (i.e. mainly manual control of ISO, shutter speed (exposure time)) like this app: Open Camera.

My understanding is that the default camera app of many modern smartphones have manual control, but if yours don't, the Open Camera app is a good one. For Iphones I have no suggestion.

2) Handheld shooting with phones and telescopes is really difficult (I know from experience :biggrin:).

To get a reasonably stable setup, I would suggest the following:

Getting a smartphone/telescope adapter. There are several types like (a) this and (b) this. I think version (a) is better than (b) (at least in my experience).

And when shooting with an adapter, I would shoot with either a delayed capture (i.e. a timer set to a couple of seconds, in order to eliminate the shake from touching the phone/setup. Or use a remote control for photo shooting (there are small, cheap ones available, one example here).

Cheers!
 
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