How to Take Amazing Pictures of the Moon

One simple little gadget lets any amateur photographer take amazing pictures of the moon. I was skeptical at first how this little plastic attachment would help take pictures of the moon, but it does. With amazing results.

My brother-in-law first showed me how to use a telescope phone adapter to take pictures of the moon this summer. I was hooked and ordered one for my son’s telescope as soon as we returned to Florida.

What You Need

The first thing you will need to take amazing pictures of moon is of course a telescope. Although through my research of phone adapters I found that many work with binoculars, spotting scopes and even microscopes.

I highly recommend the Orion GoScope for kids. It is a great telescope for those just starting out using a telescope. It is easy to use and focus, but what I really love about the telescope is that it is transportable. Making it a great telescope to take camping. It comes with a handy backpack and ours came with a map of the moon’s craters. My son was viewing the moon, going back to the map and identifying the names of the moon’s craters.

The second thing you will need is a smart phone with a really good camera. I have an iPhone, so I of course recommend it.

The final thing you will need is the telescope phone adapter. I have bought three of these so far. My husband broke the first one, so I bought two more, different brands to see if there is any difference. I haven’t had a chance to test them out because Florida weather hasn’t cooperated with the moon phases.

I don’t think it really matters what brand you use, as long as it fits on your telescope and holds your phone still. That is the important part. Your phone is what takes the pictures, and the telescope focuses on the the moon.

How it Works

The telescope phone adapter is what holds your smartphone in place over the eyepiece. This allows your phone to take pictures of the moon at a closer range. The adapter pictured below is the new one I bought and haven’t used, or broke yet.

Each adapter comes with directions on how to install on your telescope and also helpful hints on how adjust it for the best results.

It is best to make sure you have already focused on the moon before attaching the adapter to the telescope.

Once you have the moon visible on your smartphone camera it may look like this.

Just tap the picture. This allows the moon to come into focus on your phone. At least this works on my iPhone. It should now look like this.

Next zoom in as far as your camera will allow and take a picture.

You can go back later to your pictures and edit them. Zooming in even more to get a bigger picture of the moon. Photo apps like Canva and PicMonkey are also great for editing photos to get a more crisp picture of the moon.

This is great outdoor activity for adults and kids. You will be amazed by your own amateur photography skills.

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