The Story Behind GemStateAstro

Welcome to GemStateAstro — a place where science, passion, and art come together under the night sky.
My name is Richard, and my journey into astrophotography started long before I ever owned a telescope. I grew up in North Carolina, where cloudy skies and a tight budget kept me from exploring the stars the way I dreamed. Still, I always had a deep love of science.
At 17, I joined the Navy and trained to operate a nuclear reactor on a submarine. After serving, I transitioned into the commercial nuclear world and eventually became a Senior Reactor Operator. The job was demanding and high-stress, and after becoming a dad, I knew it was time to find a healthier balance. I moved into an instructor role — gaining something incredibly valuable: time.
That’s when everything changed.

Where It All Began

I found my very first telescope at a Goodwill thrift store—the little one in this photo. After showing my son the Moon through it, the look on his face said everything. That moment convinced me to upgrade to the big 14-inch telescope you see here.

The Learning Curve

This hobby was a lot harder than I expected. I had to learn how to collimate telescopes, clean optics, polar align mounts, and troubleshoot every part of the setup. Then came the acquisition software that had to run all night while I slept—and the processing software that brought faint data to life. It’s been a long, challenging, and incredibly rewarding journey.

Learning the Hard Way

Along the way, things went wrong—spectacularly wrong. I’ve had equipment rained on, a mount knocked over by the wind, sprinklers soaking everything at 2 A.M., fried power supplies, broken USB cables, and more dew than any telescope deserves. Each disaster taught me another lesson, and every lesson pushed me closer to the images I capture today.

Trying New Setups

Part of the fun of astrophotography is trying new things. I’ve swapped cameras, mixed telescopes, stacked gear in ways that probably shouldn’t work, and tested every configuration I could dream up. Sometimes the results were amazing, sometimes they were a mess—but every experiment helped me grow.

When Everything Works

After countless experiments, failures, and late nights, you eventually reach the moment where everything works together. That’s when you capture as much data as you can. Clear skies don’t last long, and when a setup is dialed in, every minute under the stars counts.