Using my Samsung A22 5G phone, this is one of the best photos of Saturn I've been able to capture. Does anyone have any tips on how I can get clearer images? I've been using a 6" Dobsonian with a 25mm eyepiece and 3x barlow lens along with a phone adapter. I'm aware you need to process and stack images to make them better and clearer but is there anyway to get them clearer on my phone first? Or is it just impossible for a phone/telescope like mine?
The only way to get better images with a smart phone is to use an app that gives you better control over exposure settings, and lets you capture in raw data (or a compression algorithm that is better optimized for quality instead of file size)
But you also need to record video. Single images look bad no matter what camera you're using. Recording video, stacking, and then sharpening gives you fundamentally better results. However, if there is still heavy compression in the video, or it's not giving you the exposure control you want, then stacking won't help much if at all.
Thanks! I found an app that lets you control white balance, exposure, ISO and other things so I'll give it a try on the next clear night. I did try to record a video but it was so bad you couldn't even see the rings on Saturn it was just a blob, but again it may just be the camera settings because the planet actually looks really good through the eyepiece, just not on my phone.
I'd say this is either horrible seeing conditions, or maybe the Barlow is too much magnification (with the bad seeing conditions), or maybe the Barlow is partially at fault. There's a lot of CA going on too, not sure if it's something in your focuser like the Barlow or the phone's lens. The CA would not be your reflector.
As an experiment, try again with just the 25mm or maybe a mid-range eyepiece and no Barlow. Yes, Saturn will be much smaller, but you may actually get a better looking image.
Okay, I'll give that a go! Saturn actually looks pretty good and detailed through the eyepiece and set-up I was using to gain this photo, I believe it's just my phone camera and/or settings.
Ok I am not trying to sh-itting on OP's photo but I do want to steal this thread and ask what caused the Saturn look like this?
Specifically this kind of "red on one side and blue on the other side" effects?
We do see images like this on this subreddit quite often. I also remember in one of Ed Ting's video the images from a really bad 60mm refractor looked like this.
It doesn't look like the chromatic aberration I am familiar with, which causes blue-purple hues around bright targets. It seems like different color lights are not only not focused on the same plan (which is CA) but also misaligned? But what caused that?
Maybe here is your answer
Couldn't it be an eyepiece issue?
It's okay. Say whatever you like about the photo. I know it's really bad 😅
How are you imaging it?
The best method is through a process called lucky imaging where you record a video of the planet and then separate the video into frames and only stack the best frames from said video. You can use a software called PIPP to preprocess it into frames and then AstroSurface to stack and process. You likely won't get a much better image if you're just snapping a single photo of it.
https://preview.redd.it/1jkews96q38g1.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&s=136521dda62f43aefcfbde5f26624391c38d2bdf
This is my Saturn from an 11 second video I got using my Pixel 7 and a SkyWatcher 200p 8" dob. I think it was something like the 25% best frames were used IIRC.
What did you use to hold the phone to take the picture?
A universal phone mount like this
https://preview.redd.it/aaen5erhtc8g1.png?width=1079&format=png&auto=webp&s=c1d7a32581f57c852639d9d4c6cd7d12ee8d1978
Ah, okay! I have recorded a video, but you can't see the rings on it, so I'll try it again the next clear night. That photo was infact just a single photo. However, if the video shows Saturn looking like my photo, is it still worth processing it?
Amazing photo by the way. One day I hope mine turn out like that!