Why is it so hard to take a good photo of the Moon with my Phone?

Description

t’s a beautiful clear night. The stars are out and the Moon looks breathtaking against the sky, so you reach for your phone to take a snap. The results are, to be blunt, disappointing.

Try again. Steady your hands, focus on the Moon, take a photo and… it’s another underwhelming white smudge against a dark background. Hardly Instagram-worthy.

Phones often take superb photos, but why do they struggle with the Moon? It’s a little bit to do with what we are photographing, and a little bit to do with phone camera technology.