Last week I finally captured Jupiter's bands with just my phone and a tripod

Honestly, I've been trying for months to get a decent shot of Jupiter through my 8 inch dob. I messed around with different phone adapters and apps, but last Thursday the sky was dead clear around 11pm. I propped my Galaxy up against the eyepiece with a cheap ring I got off Amazon for 12 bucks. The photo came out way sharper than I expected, you could actually see two cloud bands and three moons. I know it's not Hubble quality, but it felt like a real win for a beginner. Has anyone else had a random night where everything just lined up for a photo?

3 comments

3 Comments

valc911mo ago

Man, that feeling when it all clicks is the BEST. Had a similar thing with the Moon a few months back where I just held my phone up to my binoculars and got a crater shot that was almost scary detailed. Makes you realize it's not always about the gear.

annajenkins1mo ago

@valc91 yes exactly this. I remember holding my phone up to a spotting scope at a star party and getting a blurry Jupiter with three moons visible. It was a total accident but that photo means more to me than any of my proper telescope shots. Sometimes the cheap stuff surprises you.

laura_chen411mo ago

My friend Tom managed this with a $20 thrift store telescope and his old iPhone 6 one random Tuesday. @valc91 you're totally right, sometimes the cheap setup just decides to cooperate out of nowhere.