The right gear.

Even with the best camera in the world, the wrong lens lets the night sky slip through your fingers.

Sensor size is decisive in night photography: the larger the sensor, the better the ISO — that is, light-sensitivity — performance. Despite the ads, smartphones fall short on the northern lights when the lights aren't bright enough.

The lens comes before the camera.

A wide angle is a must — the 10–24 mm range embraces the sky. The wider the aperture (the smaller the f-number), the more light gets in. It's like your pupil opening all the way when you step into a dark room: an f/2.0 lens gathers far more in a short exposure than f/4.

What needs to be in your bag.

• —A sturdy tripod
• —Spare batteries — they drain fast in the cold
• —Spare memory cards
• —A camera bag that resists cold and water
• —Lens and body cleaning cloths, a dust blower
• —A remote or a cable shutter release

×Corrected · 2023·phone capabilitiesSmartphones really were inadequate in 2019. From the iPhone 14 Pro onward and the Pixel 7 Pro onward, they can take exposures up to 30 seconds — enough for a frame to post to social media, and sometimes surprisingly good. But for a RAW file and a print, it's mirrorless/DSLR again.