Chosen Solution
Using a tripod and timer my pictures are still not as clear as they were in the viewer
Thats because of the light. Cameras are quite different from your eye. Ive tried to take a beautiful picture of the moon but my eye could see it fine but my camera took really fuzzy images. With your camera there could be 2 things. One is the focus the other is the light. Now as im assuming you are doing this at night, does your camera take clear pictures during the day without changing anything? If thats the case then its the light levels and you will most likely need a more expensive camera that works well in low light. Sorry of my explanation was confusing, but hope this helps you out!
