Low-Cost Astrophotography with a Smartphone: STEAM in Action

Abstract

Astrophotography has been responsible for the discovery of planets, solar systems, stars, and several other celestial objects, which directly helps with expanding our knowledge about the universe and creating scientific models for nature. Practical techniques have been extensively described, including Covington, who has published an extensive guide to amateur astrophotography. Furthermore, aiming to introduce such important scientific activity among students, several authors have described possibilities of using the technique in physics and astronomy teaching. However, the proposed activities and methods normally need expensive equipment, such as telescopes, professional cameras, mounts, tripods, optical components, and other items not commonly owned by teachers, students, or the general public.The ubiquity of the smartphone, especially among students, makes it interesting for educational purposes. The device can be used as a mobile laboratory due to the several integrated sensors. Furthermore, the possible uses in classroom are extensive, including the ones involving astronomical subjects, especially with the use of its camera for sky imaging. In this work, we propose a simple and low-cost technique for the practice of astrophotography using the smartphone. Moreover, we suggest teaching activities involving the STEAM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math), including the analysis of the Earth’s rotation and the artistic treatment of the astrophotographs.