10/19/2024
So... I did take a few more shots tonight. About 5 to 10 minutes tonight.
First, shot was to locate comet.
The streetlight on the back street was killing my view of the sky.
Then a couple more with my phone.
And a few with a really cheap Chinese monocular that I ordered for about $7. It surprised me because the phone mount was cheap, and I wasn’t expecting much.
All shots Samsung S23Ultra Night Mode
Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
October 18 2024 ~8:45 EST
Chattahoochee, FL
.................... đź“·
If anyone is interested in taking a photo, I suggest doing it as soon as possible. Every night, the comet will get smaller and dimmer.
Start around 8:15 to 8:30 PM EST. The sky should be mostly dark with just a faint glow on the horizon where the sun went down.
Mount your phone or camera on something steady — a tripod is best, but even a coffee cup with some weight to hold it in place works.
Start without a super wide angle or zoom; use 1x (equivalent to a 50mm lens on a camera).
Use Night Mode, or if possible, set a 10-second exposure.
For those with adjustable cameras:
Set the ISO to 3200, fully open the aperture (lowest f-stop number), and start with a 10-second exposure.
Use a 2- to 5-second delay to make sure the camera is still when the shot starts.
Be aware that stars will start to trail if you go longer than 20 seconds in standard camera mode.
Night Shot modes (on Samsung, Pixel, and I believe iPhone) take short exposures and overlap them, so you can experiment with longer exposures.
After your first shot, once you've found the comet, adjust your camera settings for the best shot.
Try different exposure times and zoom levels. I found that phones with 3x zoom work well.
Good luck!"
