Question about those cheap phone adapters for telescope eyepieces

I was totally sure those little plastic phone mounts you clip to an eyepiece were junk. Saw them online for like 15 bucks and figured the pictures would be blurry and useless. Then my friend brought one to a star party last month in Flagstaff, and we tried it on his 8-inch Dob. I was shocked. We got a decent shot of Jupiter, just a bright dot with two moons, but it was sharp enough to make out. The trick was using a phone app with manual controls to lock the focus and exposure. It's not Hubble, but for a quick share to social media or showing your family what you're looking at, it works way better than I ever thought. Has anyone else had a good experience with one of these, or did I just get lucky with a clear night?

2 comments

2 Comments

terryrobinson21d ago

Try using an app that lets you lock focus at infinity. My phone's basic camera app always hunts for something to focus on, making stars look like messy smears. Setting it manually on a pro mode app was the only way I got a clean shot of the moon.

the_sean21d ago

That shot of Jupiter from Flagstaff sounds great. Which phone app did your friend use for the manual controls? I tried one last year on my old reflector and could never get the focus right, it always looked like a glowing blob. Maybe the app makes a bigger difference than the mount itself.