How to Take Stunning Photos of the Moon and Stars with Night Sight
How to photograph the stars with Google Pixel.
Take pro-level photos of the night sky with astrophotography mode.
Night Sight on Pixel phones makes it easy to get shots that used to require sophisticated equipment and knowledge about everything from shutter speed to ISO settings. Simply set your Pixel on a stable surface and create a detailed photo of the night sky in just a few minutes.
Capturing photos at night requires long exposures, whether it’s with a DSLR camera or a Google Pixel. Astrophotographer Tristan Greszko says he would use his DSLR with a telephoto lens and take more than 120 long exposures over a period of hours to get great star shots. Then, using photo editing software, he would merge multiple photos and layer them to eliminate “noise,” whether that’s magenta or green tints, or passing airplanes or satellites. “It gets pretty complicated to get a really great shot,” says Greszko.
Camera phones have historically struggled with these long-exposure photos because of shaky hands and movement in the scene or sky – those passing satellites and airplanes, or the stars themselves seeming to move as the Earth rotates.
The Tensor chip in Google Pixel phones solves that problem, improving the Night Sight feature that first became available on Pixel 3. The custom-built Tensor processor detects motion before the photo is taken and optimizes the process to reduce blur and give you a sharp picture. On newer models like
, , and , long-exposure pictures process faster and with even sharper low-light detail thanks to the .“The long exposure brings out details you can’t see with the naked eye, and the Pixel makes the whole process feel effortless,” says user Apurv G, who used their Pixel and a tripod to photograph the silhouette of a lone tree under a sky full of stars in Shenandoah National Park.
Now, instead of spending hours taking hundreds of long-exposure photos, Google Pixel with
gets the shot in one single multi-minute exposure – no editing necessary.“They’re shockingly beautiful photos,” says Greszko, who has used his Google Pixel phone at night in the Nevada backcountry.
In astrophotography mode, Pixel takes multiple long exposures when you press the shutter, then merges them all together – essentially automating the work that Greszko used to do by hand. The result is a single crisp, detailed photograph of the night sky and your chosen framing of the landscape. Astrophotography can engage automatically when the phone detects a dark, steady scene, or you can turn it on manually. Night Sight also has a special feature called Astro timelapse, which takes the string of photos and creates a cool one-second timelapse movie of the moving stars – just for fun.
Tip: Set a 3- to 10-second self-timer to reduce the shake from tapping the shutter.
Because getting the phone perfectly still is important, Pixel 10 Pro Fold’s tabletop mode gives you a steady camera with a quick, tripod-free setup. And improved image stabilization makes tabletop astrophotography even sharper.
“I placed the phone on a stable surface and waited for the long exposure to finish – and the results were mind-blowing,” says @oh.kshitij, a Pixel user who clicked this picture with astrophotography mode on a midnight stargazing hike.
Get the cosmos in the palm of your hand
Get the cosmos in the palm of your hand
Professionals can spend days or even weeks scouting out the perfect location for a stargazing photo. Pay attention to weather and cloud cover, or use a stargazing app to learn about the exact phase of the moon and where the constellations will be in the sky. Find a landscape far away from cities or urban areas. When you want the stars to really pop, wait for the moon to disappear to ensure you have the darkest sky possible.
Google Pixel user @naddrxxh shares these tips:
Make sure to remove or distance yourself from any harsh or direct lighting.
Use focus lock to keep your subject sharp.
Take multiple photos and choose the best one.
Finding interesting landscape features – rather than simply pointing the camera at the sky – can be key to composing a great photograph.
No matter your skill level or which Pixel you use, you can turn a night sky into a lasting memory with these tips and tricks.
Go 45 to 90 minutes after sunset for a naturally darker sky and more visible stars.
Check the moon phase in a stargazing app – avoiding a full moon will give you deeper blacks and more contrast.
Aim for a night with steady air to avoid wind and haze that can keep stars from looking crisp.
Choose a location far from light sources like streetlamps, car headlights, and buildings.
Look for dark, cloud-free skies away from urban areas.
Add a foreground element – a tree, arch, hillside, or rock – to give depth and scale to the final image.
Open Camera → Night Sight → Astro to turn on Astrophotography mode.
Place your Pixel on a stable surface. (If you have a Pixel 10 Pro Fold, use tabletop mode by setting the phone half-open so it supports itself.)
Turn on a 3- to 10-second self-timer to minimize shake.
Tap and lock focus on a bright star or your foreground.
Adjust exposure by sliding your finger up or down on the screen until the sky and foreground look balanced.
Compose your frame so the sky fills most of the image, with a grounded element for context.
Once you press the shutter, Pixel will begin a long exposure (often around four minutes).
Keep the phone completely still until the on-screen timer finishes.
If the sky is very dark, Pixel may extend the capture time to improve detail.
Open the photo in Google Photos.
Start with Magic Editor to refine the composition, brighten the stars slightly, or remove distractions like lights or passersby.
Or use light adjustments to:
Increase contrast for star definition.
Reduce noise while keeping texture natural.
Fine-tune color balance so the sky tones remain true to the moment.
Save a copy so you can return to the original if needed.
This is #TeamPixel.
