My uncle said to just point my phone at the sky for a good comet shot

He told me this over the phone from his place in Flagstaff, a real astronomy town. I tried it during the last comet pass, holding my phone up for about 30 seconds. The photo was just a shaky, bright blur with a streetlight in it. I showed him the mess and he laughed, saying he meant with a real camera on a tripod. Now I know you need the right gear, not just any camera. Anyone have tips for a good starter setup under $500?

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3 Comments

davidh887mo ago

Been there, done that, got the blurry photo.

6

willow_king7mo ago

My entire camera roll from 2016 is just motion blur.

2

xenan646mo ago

Oh man, that "motion blur" line is too real. I had the same problem until I started tapping the screen to focus before taking a picture. Holding the phone a little steadier and waiting a half second after the tap made a huge difference. My 2017 photos are way clearer than my 2016 mess.

2