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Astronomer and author Tom Kerss recently pointed his iPhone 12 Pro Max at the sky for a stunning photo (below) of the Milky Way. This is the latest example of the advancement of smartphone camera technology in recent years.
“We need to talk about the astrographic potential of modern smartphone cameras,” the London-based astronomer said in a tweeted message with the eye-catching photo. “This image was taken from data captured using an iPhone 12 Pro Max. The sensor pixels are only 1.7 microns! It’s ridiculously capable for its size and provides usable data courtesy of 12-bit DNG – “ProRAW”.
Apple’s ProRAW format for iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max combines information from a standard uncompressed RAW image with iPhone image processing, giving you greater flexibility when changing exposure, the color and white balance of the photo.
We have to talk about the astrographic potential of modern smartphone cameras. This image was taken from data captured using an iPhone 12 Pro Max. The sensor pixels are only 1.7 microns! It’s ridiculously capable for its size and provides usable data thanks to 12-bit DNG – “ProRAW” pic.twitter.com/ODndP7vBv9
– Tom Kerss FRAS (@tomkerss) July 21, 2021
In additional comments, Kerss says the image shows the Summer Triangle “with a bright region of the Milky Way (clouds of stars in the spiral arm that we inhabit) as well as a meteor (possibly the beginning of the Perseids) – yes, it’s in the data “.
Kerrs, whose recently published first book You can explore the universe aims to get children excited about space and all its magical wonders, concedes that the picture is far from perfect, with “the usual aberrations linked to astronomy”. However, he adds that these can be fixed with the help of editing tools built into the phone.
The astronomer notes that Google’s Pixel Camera, also known for its ability to capture stunning shots of the night sky, takes a different approach to astrophotography “and produces impressive images entirely on the device, but it delivers considerably less flexibility than ProRAW. It also suffers from the same terrain issues (which could also be solved by harnessing the on-board power!). “
Kerrs said he spoke to Google last year and offered suggestions for possible improvements to the Pixel’s astrophotography mode, but “unfortunately it didn’t get anywhere.”
If you’re in the night sky and want to learn more about what’s out there, check out this carefully curated list of astronomy apps for iOS and Android.
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