Using a phone, beyond planets?

[Shera]

Hi,

I'm a newbie to Astrophotography and I've so far got some images of Jupiter and Saturn using the camera on an iPhone and then stacking the video. I've recently installed Open Camera on my Samsung which allows me to change the ISO, focus on Infinity, take bursts etc and I was wondering if it's possible to capture images of objects in the sky other than the moon or the planets using a phone with a photography App? I'm hoping my MIL will let me borrow her fancy camera at some point but I'm enjoying learning about this method in the mean time. The book that I am reading seems to suggest it is possible but doesn't seem to say what exactly this method can capture. Many thanks.

[Stu]

The answer is yes, at a very basic level.

I managed this shot of M42 on an iPhone 6 Plus with only a 0.5 second exposure but high ISO using an app called ProCam 4. NightCap also works quite well.

I have no real desire to process on a PC, so I use PS Express on the phone too, but I guess you could stack and process phone images on a PC if you want.

[Shera]

11 minutes ago, Stu said:

The answer is yes, at a very basic level.

I managed this shot of M42 on an iPhone 6 Plus with only a 0.5 second exposure but high ISO using an app called ProCam 4. NightCap also works quite well.

I have no real desire to process on a PC, so I use PS Express on the phone too, but I guess you could stack and process phone images on a PC if you want.

Wow that would do me! Was that taken just pointing the phone at the Orion Nebula or also through a telescope? On another note, this App I have on my phone "locks" the exposure does anyone know what that might mean?

[johnfosteruk]

1 hour ago, Shera said:

this App I have on my phone "locks" the exposure does anyone know what that might mean?

Phone cameras generally auto expose so as you move the camera it changes the exposure depending on the illumination of the target. The lock 'fixes' the exposure to your chosen setting. This is very useful if you're just hand holding up to the eyepiece as any movement won't change the exposure.

[Shera]

39 minutes ago, johnfosteruk said:

Phone cameras generally auto expose so as you move the camera it changes the exposure depending on the illumination of the target. The lock 'fixes' the exposure to your chosen setting. This is very useful if you're just hand holding up to the eyepiece as any movement won't change the exposure.

Thanks. I'm not sure if I can change the exposure time on this App either; I assume I would need to to get an image like the Orion Nebula as opposed to taking lots of shots of the same thing on the App's default exposure setting?