The lab course I am teaching at Coker College does not have access to the newest and fanciest equipment for microscopy imaging (nor should it*). If your drawing skills are not up to snuff, however, a smartphone camera, a steady hand, and a bit of patience can provide a useful substitute for standard light microscopy.
Stained bacteria photographed with an iPhone 5
The above image was taken through a compound microscope, but it also works well for the small, dissecting-style scope my kids have.
Millipede
Painting of a Kids’ Toy
The same principle can hold for telescopes. In this case, the hand was less steady due to temperature and beers.
Jupiter & Ganymede
*Teaching folks how to use that is a) a different course and b) outside my area of expertise.
I’ve experimented with this. So awesome when you get it lined up just right, but really tricky.
You have to trust the image, not your intuitions about the “correct” angle and distance. It’s like its own little experiment.