A student was able to capture a video of the planet Saturn using his phone.

John Michael Casuco Tila-on set up a smartphone, tripod, and a 20mm mobile-compatible lens on a clear night outside his house in Leyte Province, the Philippines.

After taking videos and pictures, he processes them on a computer application called Planetary Imaging PreProcessor (PIPP) to make them clearer.

The amateur astrophotographer originally planned to capture images of Mars and Jupiter, but they were either too faint or too bright on the telescope so he switched to the ringed-planet Saturn on Wednesday (September 2).

He said: "I was so happy when I found the perfect shape and colour of Saturn. It's like it posed for the camera when I asked it to."

The young enthusiast said that he discovered his passion for astrophotography when the Covid-19 lockdown started.

He said he spent his time trying new things to do inside the house when he grew bored of watching shows on the internet.

John said: "It all started since the lockdown. I discovered my talent for planets and I feel satisfied every time I finish a project."

He said he will continue to do planetary imaging even after the lockdown and encourage his friends to try it.

Schools in the country have temporarily closed down when the pandemic hit the country, shifting to online classes that started this week.