I thought phone shots of the moon were junk, then my neighbor proved me wrong on his back patio

Logan Ellis · 2026-10-25T22:25:04.540091+00:00

So I've been kinda snobby about moon photos for a while now, anytime someone posted one taken with a phone I'd scroll right past it, figured it was pointless compared to what a real scope can pull. Then Friday night my neighbor Dave, who's retired and messes around with astrophotography, had me over on his patio in Columbus and handed me his phone on a little tripod clamped to the railing. He said the lens is only half the story, it's the exposure settings and waiting for the right night that matters, then showed me a shot he got of the crater edges near Tycho that honestly looked sharper than stuff I've seen posted from actual telescopes. I stood there for like 20 minutes messing with the sliders while he talked about seeing conditions and how much the air above you wrecks a shot. Now I feel a little dumb about all the phone pics I blew past. Anybody here get decent moon shots with just a phone, and what settings actually work for you?

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I thought phone shots of the moon were junk, then my neighbor proved me wrong on his back patio | Astronomy Photos - Babble Community