What StarPixels Is (and Isn’t)

I’m Rick—astronomer, educator, technologist, and stubborn optimist about the night sky. StarPixels is my laboratory for turning raw curiosity into practical, beautiful astronomy: images, lessons, gear wisdom, and the occasional cosmic side-eye at bad science. I shoot from North Texas (Denton/Argyle), where light pollution is real and excuses don’t help. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s repeatable awe you can try yourself.

Expect here:

• Clear, no-nonsense guides to seeing and photographing the sky.
• Images captured with accessible gear (smart scopes, DSLRs, modest mounts).
• Short videos that teach something you’ll remember tomorrow.
• A running conversation about where astronomy is headed (smart scopes, EAA, AI tools) without hype.

Origin Story: Why This Exists

I spent decades building tech and strategy in the corporate world. Now I build nights: planning, capturing, and translating space into something you can feel and learn from. StarPixels started because friends kept asking the same question in different ways—“Can I really do this?” Yes. With the right plan and a bit of stubbornness, you’ll be surprised how far you can go under suburban skies.

How the Sausage Gets Made (Gear & Workflow)

• Scopes & Optics: Vaonis Vespera 2 (dual-band + CPL filters), an older Tascam Star Finder 70 mm with tracker, plus a growing DIY scope project.
• Cameras: Canon Rebel T2i (EOS 550D), Nikon D70 (legacy but loved), iPhone for quick sky captures.
• Lenses: Samyang 135 mm f/2.0 ED UMC for wide-field nebulae that punch above their weight.
• Mounts & Helpers: iOptron SkyGuider Pro; polar tools from basic to iPolar.
• Processing: Stacking and post in Affinity Photo 2 (iPad + Mac), selective use of Photoshop (iPad), with clean color science and restrained denoising.
• Smart Tools: Vespera’s Singularity app for planning/capture; Stellarium/TheSkyLive for coordinates and sessions.
• Local AI/Creative Rig: Ryzen 7 + RTX 5070 Ti for image/video workflows, ComfyUI for animation assistance (no “AI-ish” artifacts allowed in final astro images).

Principle: minimal gear, maximal plan. You don’t need a cathedral of equipment—just a repeatable process.

The StarPixels Method (Field-tested)

1. Choose targets that fit tonight. Season, altitude, moon, transparency, and your light dome matter more than the perfect camera.
2. Capture steadily. Long total integration beats heroic single subs. I stack mercilessly.
3. Process honestly. Stretch, color-calibrate, tame gradients; don’t invent signal that isn’t there.
4. Teach the why behind the pretty. Every image gets context: what you’re seeing, how far, why it matters.
5. Share settings and coordinates. If you can’t reproduce it, it’s a poster, not a practice.

What You’ll Find Here

• Skynotes (North Texas–tuned): Tonight/next-night observing windows, moon/twilight, transients with RA/Dec, alt-az at start time, and visibility notes.
• Image Posts: Acquisition details, processing notes, and “try-this-yourself” guidance.
• Deep Dives: Messier to JWST lenses—history, physics, and practical observing.
• Creator Logs: Gear upgrades that actually help (and the ones that looked clever but didn’t).
• Verified Visuals: Direct links to primary sources (ESA/Webb, WebbTelescope, ESA/Hubble, NASA Images, Stellarium/TheSkyLive, and when relevant SkyView/Aladin Lite/SIMBAD). No dead-end generic homepages; links point to the exact asset or ephemeris used.

Philosophy: Practical Awe

Awe is not a mood—it’s a method. Start with something you can do tonight. Learn one new thing. Repeat. The universe rewards consistency.

• Accessible: I prefer repeatable approaches over boutique setups.
• Evidence-first: Claims get sources; images get capture details.
• Respect for time: You’ll leave with a plan, not just admiration.

Favorite Projects in Rotation

• Messier Series, Re-imagined: 110 objects, but framed for modern observers (smart scopes, small refractors, binoculars), with high-yield tips per light-polluted sky.
• Cosmic Tourism & Dark Sky Movement: How to chase awe without wrecking it.
• Smart-Scope Reality Checks: What automation nails—and where your eye still wins.
• Gravitational Lensing, Explained: Mind-bending, minus the hand-waving.

For Beginners (Start Here)

• First Targets That Always Work: The Pleiades (M45), Andromeda (M31), Orion Nebula (M42), Lagoon (M8) in season.
• First Tools That Matter: A plan (Stellarium), a steady mount, and honest expectations.
• First Win: Track 30–90 minutes on a bright nebula; stack; do a gentle stretch. Post it. Learn. Go again.

For the Nerds (Welcome Home)

• Acquisition logs with RA/Dec, integration time, filter notes.
• Reproducible processing steps; color-calibration rationale.
• North-Texas-specific transparency/seeing commentary and workarounds.
• Gentle EAA (electronically assisted astronomy) experiments—documented wins and misses.

Community & Collabs

Want to test a workflow, co-author a guide, or run a shared dataset challenge? I prefer real experiments over press releases. Reach out below with something we can actually try.

Disclosures & Credits

• Verified Visuals: All “reference” links direct to specific public, no-login resources.
• SpaceEngine Credit: Some educational visuals use SpaceEngine. Visuals created with SpaceEngine (PRO license held for monetized content); credit provided.
• No Paid Hype: If I ever accept sponsorship or affiliate support, I’ll label it clearly—and still tell you if a product misses.

Connect

• YouTube & TikTok: Short, mid-length, and deep-dive videos in a single, mobile-native format.
• Facebook: Nightly/next-night Skynotes and transient alerts for North Texas.
• Contact: rick [at] starpixels.studio (or use the form below).

Call to Action:

• Subscribe to Skynotes (tonight’s best target, ready in five minutes).
• Grab the Beginner’s Checklist (PDF): from “What time?” to “Why is my nebula green?”