 |
| Scorpius at 30,000 Feet: A Smartphone Milky Way Adventure |
Somewhere over Kansas, cruising at 30,000 feet on a late-night United flight to Memphis, I peeked through the cabin glow and saw something I never expected: the Scorpius constellation sparkling beside a faint shimmer of the Milky Way core.
My mind raced. Could I capture this on my phone?
Pro mode—of course.
ISO—crank it to 3200.
Shutter—maybe 32 seconds? (What am I thinking!)
Then reality struck. No tripod Minor turbulence. Bright cabin reflections. A recipe for streaks and smears!!!
Still, I pressed the phone firmly against the window, shielding the sides with my jacket to block reflections. Click.
A sudden bump—Stars all streaked out like modern art.
Not giving up, I dialed the exposure down to 16 seconds to dodge the worst shakes. Phew! The next frame landed beautifully—Scorpius fully outlined and the Milky Way’s dusty heart faint but unmistakable.
A few more cautious shots followed. My fellow passenger, politely bewildered by my excitement, smiled as I proudly shared the results. The streaky city lights far below and the bright cabin reflections only added context and a sense of reality to the cosmic scene, grounding the galaxy against the unmistakable evidence of flight. I just had to adjust the contrast settings a bit to bring out the features of the sky.
Like I say Smartphone astronomy can happen in the most unlikely settings—you just have to be ready for it.
Exposure details
Phone: Motorola Edge 2025
Mode: Pro
ISO: 3200
Shutter: 16 s
Flight: United Airlines, midair above Kansas
