Snapped a photo of Orion through my window last night and it looked better than my $400 telescope shots from the backyard

I was too lazy to set up the tripod so I just held my phone up to the glass and the image came out sharper than any 30-second exposure I've ever taken, anyone else notice window glass cuts down on atmospheric distortion?

2 comments

2 Comments

emmafisher19d ago

Oh man, that's wild right? I've had the exact same thing happen with the moon through a screen door once, it looked way sharper than anything I ever got with my old rig. It's gotta be the glass cutting down on the air currents and turbulence in the atmosphere, like a built in stabilizer. Maybe the window is actually acting like a really basic filter for some of the scattered light too, who knows. Makes you wonder if we're all overcomplicating things with expensive gear when a simple pane of glass does the trick.

the_olivia19d ago

Yeah @emmafisher is spot on about the glass calming things down. If you really want to test it, try shooting through a slightly cracked window on a humid night - the seal of the glass stops heat waves from messing with your shot. I've done that with my cheap scope and got clearer lunar pics than friends with expensive mounts.