How to capture aurora borealis on a smartphone
What are the chances of the Northern Lights being visible in Northern California on Friday night? The conditions do not appear to be as favorable as they did yesterday.The chances of seeing an aurora are slim but not zero. Your eye may not see it, but if they are present, your phone certainly will.If you want to set out on an aurora quest tonight, a smartphone is all you need. Here’s what you need to capture the night sky on your smartphone:Dark LocationLight pollution is a camera’s worst enemy when it comes to night sky photos. The darker the surroundings, the better your camera can read the sky. Here’s a light pollution map to find a dark place. TripodWhen you take a photo in low light, your smartphone camera takes a hot second to take that photo after you tap on the shutter button. Under low-light conditions, such as in a dark location, cameras need to stay exposed to the sky for longer to capture the light. Any movement while the camera is trying to take that photo for you, and your photo turns out blurry. To avoid that, you can get a tripod for your phone from a nearby store. You can also rely on your own arms by supporting them against something. Smartphones typically have guidelines that show you if you’re moving a lot.Third-Party Camera AppsThe newer smartphones automatically switch to night mode under low-light conditions. All you have to do is aim at the sky with stable arms or a tripod and shoot away. For older phones, there are third-party camera apps that allow you to control your camera settings manually. Apps such as Photon and NightCap work great. Camera FV-5 is an option for older Android phones.How to take the photosAs mentioned earlier, the ‘night mode’ that comes with the camera is automatically turned on under low-light conditions. Tapping on the sky where you point your phone will get the camera focused on the sky. For Apple users, long-pressing your camera screen will lock in the focus, so you don’t have to adjust the focus for each photo. Most Android phones show a lock icon when you tap on the screen when using the camera. Smartphone cameras typically take around 3 seconds to capture the night sky. You can also adjust the little sun icon on either phone to adjust the exposure or the brightness of the photo.For photo application users trying manual mode photos, a rule of thumb is to leave the shutter open for a long time to capture more light. ‘Shutter speed controls how long it can be left open: 1/100 means the shutter stays open for 1/100th of a second, 1/10 means the shutter stays open for 1/10th of a second, 1/2 means the shutter stays open for half a second, and 1 means the shutter stays open for an entire second. You can adjust exposure (similar to the sun icon on a normal camera app) to adjust the exposure of the photo.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter
What are the chances of the Northern Lights being visible in Northern California on Friday night? The conditions do not appear to be as favorable as they did yesterday.
The chances of seeing an aurora are slim but not zero. Your eye may not see it, but if they are present, your phone certainly will.
If you want to set out on an aurora quest tonight, a smartphone is all you need. Here’s what you need to capture the night sky on your smartphone:
Dark Location
Light pollution is a camera’s worst enemy when it comes to night sky photos. The darker the surroundings, the better your camera can read the sky. Here’s a light pollution map to find a dark place.
Tripod
When you take a photo in low light, your smartphone camera takes a hot second to take that photo after you tap on the shutter button. Under low-light conditions, such as in a dark location, cameras need to stay exposed to the sky for longer to capture the light. Any movement while the camera is trying to take that photo for you, and your photo turns out blurry. To avoid that, you can get a tripod for your phone from a nearby store. You can also rely on your own arms by supporting them against something. Smartphones typically have guidelines that show you if you’re moving a lot.
Third-Party Camera Apps
The newer smartphones automatically switch to night mode under low-light conditions. All you have to do is aim at the sky with stable arms or a tripod and shoot away. For older phones, there are third-party camera apps that allow you to control your camera settings manually. Apps such as Photon and NightCap work great. Camera FV-5 is an option for older Android phones.
How to take the photos
As mentioned earlier, the ‘night mode’ that comes with the camera is automatically turned on under low-light conditions. Tapping on the sky where you point your phone will get the camera focused on the sky. For Apple users, long-pressing your camera screen will lock in the focus, so you don’t have to adjust the focus for each photo. Most Android phones show a lock icon when you tap on the screen when using the camera. Smartphone cameras typically take around 3 seconds to capture the night sky. You can also adjust the little sun icon on either phone to adjust the exposure or the brightness of the photo.
For photo application users trying manual mode photos, a rule of thumb is to leave the shutter open for a long time to capture more light. ‘Shutter speed controls how long it can be left open: 1/100 means the shutter stays open for 1/100th of a second, 1/10 means the shutter stays open for 1/10th of a second, 1/2 means the shutter stays open for half a second, and 1 means the shutter stays open for an entire second. You can adjust exposure (similar to the sun icon on a normal camera app) to adjust the exposure of the photo.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter
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