Category Archives: Astrophotography

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Since resuming travel nearly two years ago after a COVID-19-induced hiatus, my trips have mainly revolved around spending time with loved ones across the country and making up for time together that was lost during pandemic lockdowns. 

But over that stretch of time, another one of my loves has fallen by the wayside: landscape photography. Prior to 2020, I visited the southwestern US frequently, traveling to national parks whenever I could with my camera in hand. But for the last few years, with little occasion to use it, my gear has sat in a cabinet untouched.

So when the opportunity arose to take a trip with Southwest Airlines focused solely on pursuing my passion, I jumped at it, heading out on an adventure through Arizona that reminded me how special traveling purely for your hobbies and interests can be. Over four days, I stared down my biggest goal (learning astrophotography) and came face-to-face with my greatest fear (a tarantula named Honey), stopping to take in every awe-inspiring sunrise and sunset in between.

Here’s how you can replicate the trip—or plan a trip around your own passion—using benefits that come with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® credit cards from Chase.

Planning the trip and maximizing points

The first thing I did when trip-planning (after convincing my sister, a fellow photography and national parks enthusiast, to join me) was look for non-stop flights between my home of Portland, Oregon, and Phoenix. I used cash to buy round-trip flights, and if you also go that route, using a Southwest credit card can help you rack up extra bonus points on the purchase: The Southwest Rapid Rewards^® Priority Credit Card and the Southwest Rapid Rewards^® Premier Credit Card each earn three Rapid Rewards points per dollar spent on Southwest purchases, and the Southwest Rapid Rewards^® Plus Credit Card earns two points per dollar.

But if you’re looking to save money for dining out and activities, there’s plenty of availability to use Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards points to book flights, as the airline has no blackout dates when redeeming them. And the best part: Right now, it’s possible to cover this trip for two people with a single sign-up bonus on any of the personal credit cards in Chase’s Southwest lineup.

Between now and March 13, you can earn 30,000 points—plus a Companion Pass valid through the end of February 2024—after spending $4,000 in purchases in the first three months of account opening, whether you’re eyeing the Priority, the Premier, or the Plus. The 30,000 points are more than enough to cover a round-trip flight for one person to Phoenix on many dates—including prime dates in March, one of the nicest months in Arizona weather-wise—and the Companion Pass allows you to bring another designated person along on every trip for just the price of the taxes and fees on your ticket, from $5.60 one way.

On the day of travel, I opted for an Uber to the airport, which is another purchase that earns bonus points with all three cards: Each nets two points per dollar on local transit and commuting, a category that includes rideshares.

The in-flight experience

Once at the airport, I checked my rolling suitcase since my camera bag and purse ate up my carry-on allowance. Southwest allows each passenger to check up to two bags for free, pending weight and size limits—but skis, golf bags, and in some cases, even surfboards fly free, making it a great airline option for a hobby-based trip with a gear consideration.

I then headed to my gate, and for the first time ever, I had priority boarding, which is another perk you can access through the Southwest credit cards. Because I was within the first few people to board the flight, I was able to snag the bulkhead aisle seat, meaning I was also among the first people to exit the aircraft when we landed. 

While anyone can purchase Upgraded Boarding where available for $30 per segment, the Priority credit card comes with four Upgraded Boardings per year—a benefit worth $120, nearly the card’s entire $149 annual fee, if put to good use. While the Premier and Plus cards don’t carry that same perk, they do come with two EarlyBird Check-Ins per year, allowing you to secure an earlier boarding position than most fellow fliers.

While en route from Portland to Phoenix, I purchased Wi-Fi onboard to make a few restaurant reservations (The Mission in Old Town Scottsdale was a hit) and put the finishing touches on our itinerary. Holders of any of the three Southwest personal cards receive 25 percent back on in-flight purchases, making it easy to do the same.

Where I stayed

After deplaning, I headed straight to the rental car center to pick up a vehicle, which was critical for getting to the locale we planned the trip around: Saguaro National Park. 

All three cards in the Southwest personal card trio earn two points per dollar on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases, and luckily for cardholders, the partner lists are extensive. I chose Hertz for my rental and after a smooth pickup process was on my way.

To maximize photography opportunities and minimize drive time, I planned to spend the first and fourth days of the trip in Scottsdale and the middle two days in the Tucson area, booking one night at The Phoenician, a member of Marriott’s Luxury Collection, and two at The Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain, also part of Marriott’s portfolio. 

Marriott is another one of Southwest’s partners, meaning if you book these hotels using the Priority, Premier, or Plus card, you’ll earn two Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards points per dollar, on top of any Marriott points you’ll earn on your stay if you’re part of the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program.

An unforgettable four days

Aside from meeting that tarantula—whom a tour guide introduced us to before our screams convinced him to put her away—the trip couldn’t have gone better. Both the Phoenix and Tucson areas are chock full of stunning landscapes and incredible photo opportunities, not to mention additional chances for Southwest cardholders to rack up points. The three cards earn one point per dollar spent on everyday purchases, an umbrella that covered most of our remaining trip expenses.

In the Phoenix area, those included entrance to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West estate and studio and Desert Botanical Garden. Around Tucson, we rode horses through the desert, saw succulents up close on a Jeep tour, and watched the sun peek over the mountains from a hot air balloon.

The highlight of the trip? A private astrophotography workshop with Sean Parker Photography near Saguaro National Park. While the clouds scuttled the chance to shoot the stars, they also provided the perfect backdrop to the cacti for some epic nighttime landscape shots—and gave me a reason to start immediately planning my next trip back to this corner of the country.

After a packed four days, it was time once again to check my bag for free, board my Southwest flight early, and grab an Uber back to my apartment, capping off an unbelievable trip I won’t soon forget.

Condé Nast Traveler has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Condé Nast Traveler and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. 

In this post, I will describe how you can capture three of the easiest and most rewarding deep-sky astrophotography targets in the night sky.

Unlike some of the more advanced projects I take on, you can capture these objects using a basic, affordable astrophotography kit in your backyard. 

I’ll walk you through the process of finding and capturing the objects, and the astrophotography equipment I recommend. 

In general, astrophotography can be difficult, but these targets are nearly foolproof, and I’ll explain why.

What Makes These ‘Easy’ Targets?

It might sound strange to hear to words ‘easy’ and ‘astrophotography’ in the same sentence. The process of successfully capturing a distant object in space is not something you can learn overnight, but these targets will make the experience a little more approachable. 

First off, all three of the targets I recommend are bright. The brighter deep-sky nebulae and galaxies are easier to find, and capture (on a basic level). This becomes especially important when you are taking photos from a backyard in the city where there is a high amount of light pollution. City lights make finding and framing dimmer objects more difficult, and this can create frustration and confusion outside.

The best part is, these objects don’t require any specialized filters or an astro-modified camera to capture. Some of the best examples of these targets were taken with a regular old DSLR camera like the one I’ll use in this post. This is good news if you’re a beginner and haven’t added any filters to your setup yet. 

3 Easy Astrophotography Targets

So what are the targets? 

These are the three beginner-level deep-sky targets I recommend, which can all be captured right now, and into the winter season. 

• Pleiades Star Cluster: a cluster of super-bright stars with an amazing glow of wispy blue reflection nebulosity around it.
  It’s one of the overall easiest targets to get started on, but the bright stars can also be tricky to get right in the processing.
• Orion Nebula: as one of the most popular deep-sky targets, I’m sure you have already heard of the Orion Nebula. It’s easy to find (thanks to its brightness) and there are plenty of nearby bright stars to help you find it and focus your camera. The intense luminosity of Orion makes it easier to capture, however, capturing the full dynamic range will keep you busy well into the intermediate and advanced stages of your astrophotography journey.
• Rosette Nebula: this target isn’t located too far from Orion, but it’s a little harder to find. This object involves a beautiful cluster of stars, with a symmetrical ‘flower’ of nebulosity around it. It is a big fan favorite and for good reason.

Of course, each one has its own challenges, but all of them are bright, colorful, and rewarding to capture using entry-level astrophotography gear.

Equipment

Even though these objects are bright, you’ll want to make use of tracking to capture these objects in all their glory. A portable star tracker or an equatorial telescope mount will allow you to record the long-exposure images needed for a detailed shot. 

Below is a detailed list of the gear you will need, including the gear I used, to capture these targets. 

• Camera: The camera can be any DSLR or mirrorless camera. For the purposes of capturing these images, I used one of the cheapest DSLR cameras Canon makes, the Rebel T7. It’s a stock, crop-sensor DSLR, and you can pick one up with a lens for about 400 bucks. To make things easier on your neck, I recommend going for the T7i version with the flip-out screen if you can afford it. It can be a little awkward without this feature, especially when your target is straight up in the sky.
• Lens: In terms of optics, a telephoto camera lens or a small telescope with a focal length of about 300-400mm is ideal. In my case, attached to the camera is an old Canon EF 300mm F/4 that I bought used for about 700 bucks many years ago. This prime lens isn’t perfect by any means, but it uses some quality glass and mimics the telescope experience in terms of focal length and aperture.
• Tracker: I used one of the most affordable options available, the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer. This tracker allows me to match the apparent rotation of the night sky and take longer exposures than I could on a stationary tripod.
• Accessories: a remote shutter release cable to run a sequence of images and a simple lens warmer to avoid the build up of frost on the lens. Oh, and a piece of electrical tape, but I’ll explain what that’s for later.

Rebel T7, Canon EF 300mm F/4, and Star Adventurer Star Tracker 

My Approach

Below I will walk you through the process from setting up your equipment to image processing. For the sake of showing you all the targets at once, I shot all three targets in one night. I would suggest focusing on one target at a time to allow for more overall integration time. 

Equipment Set Up

When setting up in my backyard, I always keep in mind the location of both the north star and my intended deep-sky objects. Use Polaris to polar align the tracker at dusk, when only the brightest stars and planets are visible. This gets much harder once dark, especially for a beginner.

Using the adjustment bolts on star tracker to polar align at dusk

Polar alignment involves looking through the polar axis of the tracker, and moving the up and down, left to right (or alt/az) adjustment bolts on the mount. You can use a free app on your phone to guide you in the right direction. Then, it’s just a matter of fine-tuning the placement of Polaris to match the reference image on your screen.

Polar Utility Check App

Once the tracker is polar aligned, it’s very important that you don’t move it or knock it out of position by kicking a tripod leg. If this happens, you’ll need to polar align again because accurate polar alignment is absolutely critical.

Focusing Your Camera 

Thankfully, these objects are so bright and obvious, we can skip over some of the added time and frustration that comes with locating dimmer objects. But, if you need help locating any of these targets, a planetarium app is helpful. 

I’ll start by pointing the camera and lens toward the Orion Nebula. This object has the added benefit of helping you find your initial focus by using any of the several bright stars within the field of view.

Orion has several bright stars in the field of view and I can use those to focus the lens while on target but this is not always the case. This is another reason why the Orion Nebula is such an approachable deep-sky target for beginners.

The process of focusing the lens can be a little finicky. The best advice I have for focusing on a star is to use the live view mode on your camera and then zoom in 10X.

When you rack focus back and forth, you may notice a purple fringe that turns green (chromatic aberration) as you go in and out. Try to find the sweet spot where as much of that color goes away. Use a piece of electrical tape to tape your position down and keep your lens from slipping out of focus.

If you’re having trouble finding your initial camera focus, you can use an even brighter star like Sirius, a bright planet, or even a distant street lamp.

Using the planet Jupiter to help focus the camera lens. 

Camera Settings

The camera settings I used are nothing special. A variation of these settings can be applied to nearly any deep-sky imaging session. However, if low-light photography is new to you, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Be sure you are using manual or bulb mode to tap into those longer exposures. This includes a low f-stop to gather more light and a higher ISO setting than you’re probably used to. For example, tonight I’ll take 90-second exposures using ISO 800, at F/5.6.

• File Type: RAW
• Camera Mode: Bulb
  
• White Balance: Daylight
• Aperture: F/5.6
• ISO: 800
• Shutter: 90-seconds

The type of lens you’re using might limit your f-stop setting. I could shoot at F/4 with this lens, but I know those stars will tighten up if I stop down, so I am willing to sacrifice a little light-gathering power. 

You can try shooting wide-open with your lens, but you may find that it performs better 1 or 2 stops down. An ISO setting of 3200 is high, yes – but most of the noise we see in a single sub-exposure will cancel out after we stack the images.

My initial plan was to shoot at ISO 1600. I changed it to 800 due to the amount of light pollution in my backyard. It was too bright to capture 90-second sub-exposures without washing everything out. So you may have to see what works for your location.

Imaging Session

Once you’ve completed focusing your lens, take a test exposure to see how your target is framed. You’ll want to make sure your target is centered in the field of view. 

During my session, Orion and the Pleiades were quite easy to line up in the center of my DSLR screen using live view but the Rosette was not.

The cluster of stars in this nebula were visible but much fainter and less obvious than the other two targets. To manually center this target, I had to take a number of test exposures and star-hop over from recognizable patterns nearby.

This is something I’ve done before but if you’re new to this process, the Rosette may be too difficult to locate from a city sky.

Once you’re happy with the framing, you can set your remote shutter release cable to continuously take 90-second shots, with a 10-second break in between. 

To make the image processing easier later, consider moving the position of your camera ever so slightly after every 5 subs or so.

It only needs to be a few pixels so I am talking a tiny, careful movement in both axis. This is called dithering, and the more robust astro setups can automate this for you.

If you’re not comfortable with this yet, it’s not the end of the world but you may see some ‘walking noise’ in your final image.

 

In my case, since I was shooting all three targets in one night, I repeated the same settings and refocus for the next two targets.

My initial plan was to capture at least an hour on each target, which is enough to create an acceptable image.

However, if you’re going for a great image, this is considered a short amount of time. I wouldn’t advise shooting three targets in a single night, get as much time on a single object as you can.

I reviewed my sub-exposures in Adobe Bridge before stacking.

Image Stacking

Once you have finished imaging and have looked at the data, you may notice that some exposures are sharper than others.

Don’t worry about this. We will stack the best 80% of the image exposures to ensure we’re only using the ‘good’ frames.

To improve the image quality, you can use autoguiding to ensure every frame is perfect, but that adds complexity and cost to the setup.

I used DeepSkyStacker to score the best frames and stack all of the images together. This is a free windows-based stacking software that continues to deliver great results despite all of the great paid tools available.

I took 15 dark frames at the end of my session (with the lens cap on), which were the same length, ISO, and temperature as my light frames.

Image Processing

After you’re done stacking, you will have your master file(s) that are ready for adjustments in Photoshop (or whatever image processing software you use).

When it comes to deep-sky astrophotography, everyone has their own processing style. However, minimizing the star size, increasing saturation, and creating more separation between the object and the background sky, tend to be universally enjoyed.

I performed my image processing in Adobe Photoshop, and want to share a few key steps:

• Gradient Removal: if you’re dealing with gradients in the background sky, I recommend the Gradient Xterminator add-on. It does a great job at evening out the sky so we can focus on bringing out the colors in the image, such as the blue reflection nebula in the Pleiades.
• Reduce Star Size: you can easily reduce the size of the stars in your image which is a great way to make the deep-sky object stand out. The process involves making a careful selection of just the stars. In Photoshop, select color range, highlights, adjust the radius, and feather the mask. Then you can use the minimum filter select to ’roundness’ and apply it to all of the stars.
• Increase Saturation: you can also use a mask to select your deep-sky object, and increase the saturation. This way you aren’t bringing out any color noise from the background sky as well. The same mask will help you make curve stretches to the data too. It’s all about creating separation between the object and the sky.

Minimizing star size in Adobe Photoshop (watch the video tutorial).

I know this sounds like a lot to take in. So feel free to watch some of my previous image processing videos on my YouTube channel, go through my tutorials online, or get my Premium Image Processing Guide created for beginners. 

The Results

Despite the limited integration, which was only about 30-40 minutes for each target, I think the data looks pretty darn good.

No filters, no camera modifications, not even a telescope – just a cheap DSLR camera and a decent lens with tracking.

Orion Nebula (26 x 90-seconds)

The Pleiades (30 x 90-seconds)

Rosette Nebula (25 x 90-seconds)

Final Thoughts

My goal for this post was to prove to you that incredible deep-sky astrophotography results are possible using basic equipment, but it all comes down to your approach. 

I also wanted to give you a head start, by explaining why the 3 targets mentioned in this post offer your best chance at a successful image on your first night out. 

Capturing 3 objects in one night was a little overall ambitious on my part, but I think the key points I was trying to make were illustrated. I urge you to give one of these 3 ‘easy’ astrophotography targets a try, and please let me know how you made out in the comments.

Until next time, clear skies!

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Feb. 16—Andreas Kooi had a knack for making people feel comfortable in their own skin.

“He was always a big goofball,” Kooi’s friend Jacob Montag said. “He just carried a big heart with him, and a big love for creativity, expression, and just showing kindness to other people.”

Kooi, an incoming Cal Poly graduate student, was fatally injured on Aug. 6, 2021, when a 17-year-old driver crashed into his bike near the intersection of Foothill Boulevard and Broad Street in San Luis Obispo.

On Feb. 4, Kooi’s family and friends remembered his kindness, intelligence and authenticity as they installed a ghost bike memorial near the scene of the crash on Foothill Boulevard to honor the 24-year-old.

Kooi’s father, Jacob Kooi, thanked the group for their “enormous energy and love and community support.”

Friends, family install ghost bike memorial

About 40 people gathered at the ghost bike memorial site on Foothill Boulevard on Feb. 4, including Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong, San Luis Obispo Police Department officers and members of Bike SLO County. The emergency room nurse who received Kooi at the hospital on the night of the crash was also in the crowd.

Kooi’s friend Liam Somers and his brother, David Kooi, attached the ghost bike to a road sign near the scene of the crash. Friends and family left bouquets of orange, purple and white flowers on the bike, which was painted white.

“Damn, that’s beautiful,” Somers said during the installation.

The front wheel of the bike is decorated with spoons bent into music notes to show Kooi’s love for music, along with a cut-out of a video camera to show his passion for filmmaking.

The side of the bike facing the street features a plaque that says “SLO Down” to remind motorists to be careful around cyclists, Kooi’s brother David said.

The side of the bike facing the sidewalk features a plaque with Kooi’s photo and a QR code to his memorial website.

The plaque also displays the music symbol of a fermata over a long rest played at triple forte, which directs the musician to allow a silence that lasts as long as the conductor decides.

“That’s pretty symbolic of the hope that we have in seeing Andreas again,” Kooi’s sister-in-law, Elizabeth Kooi, said. “It’s kind of up to God.”

The family also added a sticker to the bike from the Organ Donor Association. Kooi’s organs were donated to at least eight people, according to his father, Jacob Kooi.

“It’s comforting, in a way, and also encouraging that life is very fragile,” Jacob Kooi said, drawing parallels between Jesus Christ’s transition to spiritual life and his son’s. “I’d like to encourage everybody to sign up to be an organ donor.”

Kooi’s mother, Helen, shared a Bible verse, Philippians 1:21. “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain,” she quoted.

The back wheel of the bike is adorned with stars, representative of Andreas Kooi’s love for astrophotography and stargazing trips with his friends. They also symbolize how Kooi was “a rising star,” his father said.

A Christian cross is placed above the back wheel, pointing toward the sky.

Traditionally, ghost bikes don’t include personalized decorations, “but we wanted to give it some more jazz,” David Kooi said.

The city approved the design and the placement of the bike, and issued a permit for the memorial that lasts until 2044, according to David Kooi.

Who was SLO student fatally injured in crash?

Andreas Kooi was born in Pasadena and attended middle and high school in San Marino.

He went to Cuesta College from 2016 to 2018, studying a variety of topics, from computer science to civil engineering.

In 2018, Kooi transferred to UC Santa Cruz, where he studied applied physics and statistics. He interned in a graduate lab, which is rare for an undergraduate student, his brother said. His senior year, he wrote his bachelor’s thesis on quantum computation.

“He was really smart,” David Kooi said of his brother. “On the other hand, he was really sensitive.”

When Andreas Kooi told his brother about his physics class, he shared that he “wanted to know and understand, but not at the cost of losing his embodied self,” David Kooi said.

“He told me, ‘David, these people feel like heads on a stick. I don’t want to be a head on a stick — all head and no heart,’ ” David Kooi said.

Kooi’s authenticity encouraged his friends to be themselves, they told The Tribune.

Dio Wilde remembers stargazing with Kooi at Perfumo Canyon. Someone had brought a strobe light, and Kooi leapt to his feet to dance with his friends, Wilde said.

“He didn’t worry about trying to look cool or hit the rhythm,” Wilde said. “He was just there to have a good time and to give everyone permission to feel like they’re having a good time.”

Wilde remembers coming home to find Kooi dressed as a devil in “tight leather leggings” and standing in front of a green screen. Kooi explained that he was making a video, and invited Wilde to play the devil’s bartender.

“He had a party side but he also could be very shy and soft spoken,” Wilde said. “I just feel like he wanted to feel the full spectrum of human emotions.”

Kooi often connected with others through music.

Friend Jacob Montag remembered how Kooi jerryrigged a bass tube, normally used to blast music from a car, to play on a speaker in Kooi’s room when the two were in high school.

They listened to Rage Against the Machine, “almost creating like an earthquake type effect,” Montag said. “He loved individual expression while embracing collective love for all people.”

In high school, Dennis Lin listened to screamo music, an aggressive subgenre of emo, Lin said, but he kept it a secret.

Then Kooi encouraged him to enjoy the music, and they drove around blasting it from his car.

“It was cathartic, and also helped me realize that I don’t have to strain my tastes or my personality to fit different molds,” Lin said. “Andreas is just always genuine, and made sure that other people felt comfortable being genuine.”

“With Andreas, you didn’t have to worry about being judged,” Lin said.

The day before the fatal Foothill Boulevard collision, Kooi released a music album titled “Feeling Emotion.”

“It’s about dealing with trauma, it’s about letting go. It’s about awareness and becoming aware of every emotion,” Kooi said in a YouTube video. “I want to live in a world where people are more themselves and more in touch with God, and more in touch with the Earth and each other.”

In the release statement for the album, Kooi wrote, “I want to see a world where we all seek to give instead of consume things in order to cover the universal pains we feel. Death is a black canopy, but everyone’s light can be lit by our Creator.”

Kooi and friends embarked on ‘misadventures’

Evan Duncan was eating breakfast outside of Stenner Glen Apartments in San Luis Obispo one morning when Kooi and Somers joined him on his bench.

“They excitedly slid in beside me on both sides. I felt ambushed,” Duncan recalled with a smile. “They were looking for somebody to go river rafting with. It was right after a huge downpour of rain, and the river (had) overflowed.”

Duncan talked Kooi and Somers out of rafting on the San Luis Obispo Creek, but the trio soon moved in together.

“Andreas was extremely studious, quiet and mischievous,” Duncan said. “Liam, on the other hand, kind of counterbalanced him because he was kind of aloof, a space cadet. … It was a great dynamic.”

Every year, Kooi and his friends would pile into Somers’ car and embark on adventures. They hiked in the Sierra Nevada mountains, climbed the tallest sand dune in California at Death Valley and crossed the salt flats in Soda Lake wearing homemade cardboard shoes.

They called their trips “misadventures” because something always went wrong.

At Laurel Lake, the group gathered around the bonfire under the stars while Kooi jammed on his bongos. They threw rocks and bottles on the frozen lake.

“The whole surface vibrates when you throw something hard on it,” Duncan said. “You just hear the echo whistling.”

Michael Silva remembered planning photos of the night sky with Kooi on their trip to the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

“He one-upped me,” Silva said with a laugh. “He got special lenses and certain cameras. I never got that far. … He (was) literally an astronomer.”

The adventure in the Sierras involved “illegally crossing boundary lines to camp, almost freezing to death and maggot-infested waters,” Silva said.

Kooi filmed the trips and made them into videos that the group called Dre-dits in honor of Andreas’ nickname, Dre.

“He was a true pioneer,” Silva said. “He would just trek into whatever interesting thing that he came upon. Anything involving art or science, he just dove into it. He’s a mastermind.”

In 2021, Kooi’s friends hosted a bonfire at the beach to celebrate his memory, according to his friend Logan Hull.

As the sun sank into the ocean, the waves glowed with dinoflagellates — a type of algae that produces light.

“The entire ocean, the waves were crashing neon green,” Hull said. “We all ran out there and jumped in the ocean. It was like he was communicating with us.”

This story was originally published February 16, 2023, 2:22 PM.

(c)2023 The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

A tumultuous week on the surface of the sun will provide a nice opportunity to see the Aurora Borealis (in the northern hemisphere) and Aurora Australis (the southern equivalent) late Friday and early Saturday.

Our local star has generated a fair amount of solar flares in recent days, along with a few coronal mass ejections, which are the blasts of charged plasma that can trigger bright auroras farther away from Earth’s poles than normal when they collide with our planet’s magnetic field. 

The US Space Weather Prediction Center expects this energetic collision will create a minor G1 class geomagnetic storm Friday night that will intensify to a moderate G2 storm early Saturday. These storms pose no danger to anything on the surface of the planet unless they last a particularly long time, which could damage some large electrical equipment at high latitudes. More at risk are satellites and other spacecraft. In the past, long-duration storms have taken a batch of Starlink satellites out of commission. 

What is most likely to be noticeable on the ground are the dancing lights in the sky produced by the storm. A G2 storm can generate bright auroras visible as far south as New York, Idaho and Scotland and as far north on the other side of the world as parts of New Zealand and Tasmania. 

No special equipment is needed to view the aurora, but clear skies are pretty essential. The SWPC offers a forecast service you can check in with to see when the lights might be visible and most intense in your location. 

If you have good astrophotography skills and happen to capture an enviable image of the lights in your sky, please share them with me on Twitter @EricCMack. 

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Kresge, Erb, Hudson-Webber Foundations Commit $12M+ to 78 Arts Groups

Detroit Arts Support (DAS), a collaboration between The Kresge Foundation, Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation, and Hudson-Webber Foundation., is granting metro Detroit 78 arts and cultural organizations in metro Detroit more than $12 million over the next three years.

DAS aims to strengthen the arts and cultural sector through consistent support for a diverse set of organizations, which will use the finds for their general operations.

Grant recipients range from small to large organizations spread throughout the region, including Detroit Opera, Huron Valley Council for the Arts, and Sphinx Organization.

The three participating foundations shared a single application and review process before making independent decisions. This partnership streamlined the application process for nonprofit arts organizations while offering shared learning opportunities and improving systems for data collection and analysis necessary for the participating foundations to make funding decisions.

“Metro Detroit’s array of arts and cultural organizations is one of our greatest strengths, one of the keys to our resilience,” says Wendy Lewis Jackson, managing director of Kresge’s Detroit Program. “We seek to support them for their unique roles in anchoring us to tradition and opening windows on our future possibilities.”

The funding process also included focus groups that informed participating arts advocates, community leaders, and artists about the breadth of creativity in the region’s cultural sector. The focus groups provided DAS applicants with feedback about perceptions of their organizations from current and prospective supporters, and they helped DAS funding partners discover arts groups beyond those they have existing relationships with. Taking place over four days, these focus groups represented an important learning component of DAS and emphasized the initiative’s core values of transparency and mutual benefit.

Detroit Arts Support grants provide unrestricted operating support to nonprofits in the performing, visual, and literary arts, as well as to arts service, education, media and broadcasting, and cultural organizations.

For more information, visit here.

Lawrence Tech to host MIOSHA Training Institute Construction Boot Camp

The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA), in collaboration with Lawrence Technological University’s Construction Safety Research Center in Southfield, is offering a two-week training program teaching MIOSHA’s construction safety standards, job site hazard recognition, and hazard abatement.

The MIOSHA Training Institute Construction Boot Camp will be conducted March 6-16 at Lawrence Tech.

The program is recommended for employers who want to understand employer responsibilities, know how to recognize workplace hazards, and how to protect workers from occupational hazards on construction sites. It’s also recommended for contractors, safety and health coordinators, project managers, job superintendents, and others interested in construction safety and health information.

This boot camp will allow participants to complete training in two weeks rather than in individual MTI classes for months.

Upon completion of this boot camp, class participants will receive:

• A 30-hour OSHA Construction Course card.
• A MIOSHA Level 1 Construction Safety and Health certificate.
• Two electives toward a MIOSHA Level 2 Construction Safety and Health certificate.

This course is open to anyone interested in improving workplace safety and health, not just MTI graduates.

Classes will take place from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, March 6-9 and March 13-16, in Room 406 of LTU’s A. Alfred Taubman Student Services Center.

The course cost of $382.50 includes all course materials but does not include lunches on class days. This cost is half the price that MIOSHA and LTU plan to charge for future sessions. To register, visit here.

Seven Local Black Small Business Receive $5K CBBB Awards

The Washington, D.C.-based Coalition to Back Black Business (CBBB) has awarded $5,000 grants to 324 Black small business owners in 40 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Seven of the businesses are in Detroit.

Detroiters receiving CBBB awards are:

• Janice Mitchell of local retail shop Boutique by Janice.
• Yonika Porritt-Ledbetter of Sun Earth Gold.
• James Chatman of Family Table Detroit.
• Monique Bounds of Unique Monique Scented Candles.
• Tonyal Reid of Muscle Truck Light Hauling and Moving.
• Raymond Brock of Brock’s Plumbing Sewer.
• Gwen Thomas of Fresh Perspectives Seminars, a public relations and marketing firm.

When asked how the $5,000 grant help their businesses, the new round of recipients shared that they used the funds to pay rent and invest in new marketing (56 percet), expanded or replaced inventory (45 percent), paid rent/utilities (40 percent), paid their employees (37 percent), repaid debts or loans (16 percent), and bought personal protective equipment (PPE) (9 percent).

The CBBB is a multi-year initiative founded in 2020 by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation with a $10 million commitment from American Express to support Black small business owners and the communities they serve as they recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and chart a path forward. The initiative is led in partnership with four national Black business organizations: the National Black Chamber of Commerce; the National Business League; the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc.; and Walker’s Legacy.

For more information of the CBBB, visit here.

Jefferson East to Host Small Business Resource Fair Feb. 20

Jefferson East Inc.’s Business Services Team (JEI) is hosting a Small Business Resource Fair at its Neighborhood Resource Hub (14300 E. Jefferson Ave.) from 12-4 p.m. on Feb. 20.

The event is the first in a series that aims to support local entrepreneurs and small business owners with the funding and tools they need to grow and fuel the city’s entrepreneurial revolution.

Every month, JEI will host a Small Business Resource Fair or open hours for Detroit’s District 4 and District 5. District 4 events will take place on the fourth Monday of the month and District 5 events will be conducted every second Monday of the month.

Business Resource Fair dates for District 4 include Feb. 20 and March 20 and dates for District 5 include April 10 and May 8.

Partnering with JEI on the fairs is the Detroit Economic Growth Corp., Detroit Means Business, Motor City Match, and the University of Michigan Center on Law, Finance, and Policy.

While at the events, small businesses will receive technical support, help with filing grants, assistance in the area of business law and accounting, and tips to launch and grow businesses.

Corrections Officers Now Eligible to Attend Michigan’s Community Colleges Tuition-free

Corrections officers needing college credits now are eligible to attend one of the state’s 31 community colleges tuition-free under a new grant program, according to the Michigan Community College Association.

Current state law requires state corrections officers to complete 15 college credits as a requirement for employment. To help officers complete this requirement, MCCA established the Michigan Corrections Officer Grant Program to support tuition and fees at any of its colleges. Funding for the program was included in the Fiscal Year 2023 State Budget.

“Corrections officers are critical to the safety of our communities and Michigan community colleges are pleased to make it easier for them to obtain the credit they need,” says Brandy Johnson, president of MCCA. “Our colleges are located in every corner of the state, making them more accessible for learners that are working and attending classes at the same time.  This grant program removes barriers to success for our state’s corrections officers.”

To be eligible for the Michigan Corrections Officer Grant Program and free tuition, corrections officers must meet the following criteria:

• Be employed by MDOC.
• Earned fewer than 15 college credits.
• Received approval from MDOC for the program.
• Enroll at a community college in Michigan.

“This grant program is going to make a huge difference for corrections officers needing to complete their education requirements,” says Heidi Washington, director of MDOC. “The ability for our officers to complete their credits at any of the 31 community colleges tuition free is a great opportunity.”

To learn more about the program and how to apply, visit here.

Shelving.com to Host Bocce Ball Event to Benefit Capuchin Ministries March 24

Shelving.com, a family-owned provider of corporate and consumer shelving and storage solutions in Madison Heights, will sponsor the 11th annual Bocce with the Brothers fundraiser on from 6 p.m.-midnight March 24, at Villa Penna in Sterling Heights.

Doors and bocce courts open at 5:30 p.m. One hundred percent of the funds generated from the event will directly support the Capuchin Ministries and its valuable programs.

Bocce with the Brothers fundraiser is celebrating its 11th year with an evening that includes musical performances, buffet dinner, and live and silent auctions. There also will be a late-night afterglow party, featuring a live band performance and appetizers.

Louis Vanaria, Irish actor and singer, and Aaron Caruso, operatic and crossover singer, will be the guest hosts for the evening. Brothers of the Capuchin Ministries will be in attendance to play unlimited bocce ball and chat with guests.

“Our team at Shelving.com greatly values the partnership we have developed with Capuchin Ministries over the past 11 years, and it’s truly an honor to give back to this nonprofit that is so near and dear to our hearts,” says Michael Schodowski, president of Shelving.com. “We deeply believe in the importance of a strong and connected community at Shelving.com, and the Bocce with the Brothers fundraiser gives everyone the opportunity to celebrate together while supporting a phenomenal local cause and learning more about the Capuchin brothers’ mission, programs and the individuals they assist.”

DJ Frank Krause from Uptown Sound will provide music during the event, and live entertainment will be performed by the Capuchin Soup Kitchen Choir, Noelle Borgia from Piano by Noelle, accordionist Joe Recchia, and youth singers Isaac Murray and Dominic Arkensberg.

Speed painter Dave Santia will be in attendance to sell his original works of art during the live auction. This year, one of the live auction gifts is a one-week trip for two to Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Florida, including a $600 airfare credit and a stay at a one-bedroom, one-bathroom condominium. A wide variety of desserts also will be provided by On the Rise Bakery Café, one of the Capuchin Soup Kitchen programs.

Tickets to the event are $75 per person and include dinner, beer, and wine. Tickets only are available for purchase in advance and include reserved seating. Sponsorship and program advertising opportunities for Bocce with the Brothers also are available. Sponsorships are $575 and up, and program advertisements are $75-$250.

For more information and to donate, visit here.

Hundreds of High School Students Expected to Explore STEM Careers at WCC Event

Washtenaw Community College (WCC) in Ann Arbor will showcase the world of STEM and STEAM careers and educational opportunities the week of Feb. 28-March 2.

The 2023 STEAM Week + Campus Explore events will draw hundreds of area high school students and community members interested in exploring science, technology, engineering, arts, and math careers. WCC also is partnering with the state of Michigan’s MiSTEM Network to honor high school STEM teachers.

The events, which will be conducted both virtually and on campus, will feature WCC’s university and industry partners along with college experts and faculty members, who will share inspiring stories and lead interactive workshops and career presentations.

All STEAM Week activities are free and open to the public.

Among the speakers will be WCC alumna Aisha Bowe, a former NASA rocket scientist, future commercial astronaut, and founder and CEO of STEMBoard, one of America’s fastest growing tech companies, according to Inc. 5000. Bowe raised nearly $2 million in venture capital last year to fund LINGO, self-paced kits that help more than 5,000 students in 10 countries learn coding at home.

Bowe, who transferred from WCC to the University of Michigan where she earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering and a master’s degree in Space Systems Engineering, is preparing to become the first Black woman to fly commercially into space with Blue Origin and the sixth Black woman to cross the internationally recognized boundary of space.

WCC’s STEAM Week highlights:

Day 1 – Keynotes by Dr. Victor Vega, Interim VP of Instruction; Dr. Tracy Schwab, Interim Dean Math, Sciences & Engineering Technology; and Aisha Bowe, CEO STEMBoard.

Virtual sessions will include “Cool Careers: The Liberal Arts in STEAM,” Professional Faculty Hava Levitt-Phillips; “Detroit College of Creative Studies;” “Plane Waves Instruments: Demonstration/Telescopes and Astrophotography,” Plane Waves Team and Chris Miller; “Astrophotography,” Brian Ottum; “Imposter Syndrome Workshop,” Dr. Susan Montgomery.

Day 2 – Keynotes by Devon Keen, Director, Inclusion, Equity and Outreach and Graduate Student Research at the University of Michigan; Matt Nelson, Director of Communications at the University of Michigan; and Eric Aiken, Program Manager for Student Support and Development at the University of Michigan.

Other sessions will include a nursing simulation and tour, as well as in-person tracks on advanced manufacturing, welding, HVAC, auto service, body, transportation and motorcycle programs. An in-person session on campus will include a “Venom Research” presentation by WCC Professional Faculty member David Wooten.

Day 3 – Keynotes by Marly Earlywine (FAME USA), Shamar Herron (MichiganWorks! SE) and Mohan Thomas (MiSTEM).

Virtual sessions will include “Careers in Computer and Information Science,” Sandra Lopez of the University of Michigan School of Information; “STEM Career Exploration and Outlook,” WCC Professional Librarian Sandy McCarthy; and “Careers in Engineering,” Sarah Snay from the University of Michigan Engineering.

To register or view a detailed schedule of the week’s events, visit here.

WCC’s STEAM Week events will be capped off with an Educator of the Year banquet hosted on campus in conjunction with the State of Michigan’s MiSTEM Network. Area high school STEM teachers will be honored at this event.

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Samsung Galaxy S23 Astro Hyperlapse video

Samsung is in the process of rolling out the One UI 5.1 update to its eligible Galaxy devices. The update brings new features introduced with the Galaxy S23 series to older models. Unfortunately, not every new feature makes it to older Galaxy devices due to hardware limitations and other factors. Most notably, Samsung is limiting Astro Hyperlapse to its latest flagships.

Samsung keeps Astro Hyperlapse exclusive to the Galaxy S23 series

The Galaxy S23 series arrived earlier this month with several new camera features and improvements. Samsung made 8K videos smoother by adding 30fps (frames per second) support, up from 24fps on the Galaxy S22. The new phones also capture 4K portrait videos and support QHD resolution when shooting in Super Steady mode. Astro Hyperlapse is another new camera feature that the Korean firm debuted with the Galaxy S23 series. As you might have guessed, it lets you capture hyperlapse videos of the night sky. The phones can record stunning visuals of star trails and other objects in the sky.

There were hopes that Samsung would bring this feature to older Galaxy models with the One UI 5.1 update, but not to be. The new One UI version has already reached several Galaxy devices, including the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S21, Galaxy Z Fold 4, Galaxy Z Flip 4, and more. But none of these devices received Astro Hyperlapse with the update (via). It’s worth noting Samsung’s Expert RAW app already lets Galaxy S22 users capture Astro Photos. However, they still aren’t getting Astro Hyperlapse videos. The company is keeping the new feature exclusive to the Galaxy S23 trio.

Apart from Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S23, no other Galaxy device supports any kind of astrophotography. So it isn’t surprising that they are missing out on Astro Hyperlapse too. But many expected the Galaxy S22 series to get the new feature, only for Samsung to disappoint them all. Maybe hardware limitations prevented the company from bringing it to the 2022 flagship lineup.

Galaxy S23’s Image Clipper may trickle down to other Galaxy models

Image Clipper is another interesting feature that Samsung introduced with the Galaxy S23 series. It lets you crop out objects from photos in the Gallery app by simply tapping and holding on to them. You can save the cropped object as a new image or instantly copy and share it. This feature is missing from the One UI 5.1 update for older Galaxy models, but rumors are that most of those will get Image Clipper down the line. A future update for the Gallery app will likely bring it. You can click the button below to download the latest version of Samsung Gallery from the Galaxy Store.

DOWNLOAD SAMSUNG GALLERY

The post One UI 5.1 doesn’t bring Galaxy S23’s Astro Hyperlapse to older models appeared first on Android Headlines.

On paper and to the eye, the Galaxy S23 Ultra doesn’t appear to be too much different than last year’s Galaxy S22 Ultra. It has the same display, same overall appearance thanks to the floating design for the rear cameras, and in general a very similar spec sheet to last year.

However, to say Samsung didn’t do anything new this year would simply be untrue. We have the new HP2 camera sensor on the backside, Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, plus a subtle hardware change that has completely changed my opinion on big phones. While we can say that the Galaxy S23 Ultra is really just a refined Galaxy S22 Ultra, I wouldn’t try to angle that as a bad thing. I’ve been using the phone for over a week now and I’m ready to share my thoughts on my time with it.

This is our Galaxy S23 Ultra review!

What I Like

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Display – This is last year’s Galaxy S22 Ultra display, a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X (1440 x 3088) panel with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz and 1750 nits of peak brightness. It’s literally the same specifications as last year, but the one thing different is the glass protecting it. Samsung is using Corning’s all new Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the S23 Ultra, which should increase the phone’s protection against display scrapes and cracks. I’m not saying you should test it, but yeah, it’s there. And just because it’s the same panel, who cares? This display is amazing, with incredible levels of brightness, superior colors, while also being able to produce a very easy-on-the-eyes level of low light performance.

Since I didn’t review the S22 Ultra last year, this is the first time experiencing this display for me, and honestly, I think it’s the best display I’ve ever used. As always, Samsung spares no expense when it comes to tweaking settings for it either. We can toggle the variable refresh rate, set an adaptive brightness, adjust white balance and choose between screen mode presets, and adjust resolution. Comparing it to my Pixel 7 Pro’s display, I wouldn’t say it’s a night and day difference to my human eyes, but it certainly performs better in direct light conditions thanks to the higher peak brightness.

Hardware – Yes, this phone looks like last year’s Galaxy S22 Ultra. If that’s an issue for you, sorry. For those who don’t mind, it’s a handsome device. Personally, I like the floating cameras on the backside, but maybe that’s just me. Most importantly, though, Samsung made a hardware adjustment that I’ve really fallen in love with. For many of the past Galaxy Note and Ultra devices, there was a severe curve for the phones’ sides, making for little area to actually hold the device. On the S23 Ultra, Samsung has lessened the curve while widening out the sides, making for a noticeably larger area to hold the phone. I don’t want to be that guy, but it’s a legit game changer for a phone of this size. It makes one-handed use much more comfortable, as it feels more secure while in hand. This, alongside the new and improved HP2 camera sensor, is my favorite thing about the phone. Besides that, yeah, this is pretty much a Galaxy S22 Ultra in the hardware department.

Battery – It shouldn’t be a shock, but this phone’s battery life, thanks to 5,000mAh of juice, is great. To test it, I have been going hard on my Marvel Snap game, climbing the ranks to push this phone to its limits thanks to the game’s performance toggles. I can force 60Hz gameplay, increase graphical settings, as well as enable the game’s gyroscope feature. No doubt, a lesser phone with a smaller battery may struggle with extended gameplay at these levels, but the Galaxy S23 Ultra holds up well.

I’m sure this is all thanks to much work Qualcomm and Samsung have into their respective products, but also the cooling system that Samsung uses on the internals of this device. I’ve used this phone a ton and I haven’t felt it get warm at all. Even with my gaming and lots of picture taking, as well as videos I’ve taken, this phone’s battery is holding up super strong. I’m easily pulling in 4+ hours of screen on time every day, while going to bed with 20%+ of battery remaining each night. I repeat, the battery is very good. When the need to charge arrises, 45W wired charging is available, as well as 15W wireless charging and 4.5W reverse wireless charging for your accessories.

Performance – As I just got done saying in the section above, I’ve been putting this device through the paces with gaming, video recording, and all that jazz. It hasn’t skipped a beat yet. Areas where you might typically notice hiccups are the quick switching of apps and the processing of high resolution photos. From my experience, the phone has no problems jumping through apps and delivering quick processes on photos, with exception to the 200MP setting. That’s no surprise, as we’re typically talking about 50MB to 100MB shots. I think it’s safe to assume any phone would take a second or two to process that much information. Point being, with a base of 8GB RAM and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset being partnered with the Adreno 740 GPU, this phone hauls in the performance department.

Camera – There are a lot of cameras on the backside of the Galaxy S23 Ultra. In total, there are four — the new 200MP HP2 wide angle, 10MP periscope telephoto, 10mp telephoto, and a 12MP ultra wide angle. The crown jewel is obviously the HP2 sensor, with its massive 200MP sensor. The goal here is a camera that can not only capture incredible detail in optimal lighting conditions, but also bring an improved levels of low light photography. After testing it myself, I can confirm, the camera system on the S23 Ultra is the best and most versatile system currently available from Samsung. I’d also argue it’s the best in the entire smartphone market, but I haven’t tested every phone ever, so it’s hard to make that claim. It’s really, really good though.

The importance of being able to capture any shot, in any condition, is paramount to me. Not only that, but let’s say there’s considerable distance between you and the subject. This phone and its up to 100X zoom takes care of that, so long as you have either hands with surgeon steadiness levels or a tripod. With that said, anything up to 10x zoom is still captured without much additional image processing, so that watercoloring effect we sometimes see from zoom levels of 30x and 100x is not present.

For those interested, astrophotography is easily achievable on this device, thanks to the downloading of Samsung’s Expert RAW camera app. What’s more, the fact that taking breathtaking shots of stars and other celestial bodies is accessible by a single press of a button, with the user not needing to know absolutely anything about the process itself, is incredible. I praised Google for bringing astrophotography to the masses with Night Sight and Samsung builds upon this principle considerably well. With a single press of a button inside the camera app’s improved Hyperlapse mode, you can enable star trail shots that professionals usually have a lengthy setup and post processing software for. On the phone, I press the shutter button, walk away for an hour, and then return to amazing pictures and videos.

It took Samsung a couple of years to catch up, but I would now argue that they have surpassed Google in the astrophotography category. Last year, Google introduced its new Macro setting for Pixel phones, but yeah, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has that as well and it’s also very good. I’m racking my brain, but I don’t think there’s anything this phone’s camera array can’t capture well.

S Pen – For those who live that stylus life, yup, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has an S Pen hidden within it. There are no new features that I’m aware of, but that’s fine. The S Pen already does so much, like remote camera shutter functionality and other Air Actions, so I’m not exactly sure what more it could need. I think S Pen has reached its final stage of evolution, which for those who have to have it, I’m sure is great. Personally, I’m not a stylus user and I don’t intend on becoming one. The universe granted me with 5 stylus’ per hand, so I don’t need any extra. The remote shutter is certainly useful in some occasions, but the S Pen won’t ever be a dealbreaker feature for me. S Pen Pro is supported on the device, just in case you have one, too.

What Could Be Better

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Software Redundancy, Bloat – Samsung is notorious for software settings redundancy. The company reminds me of Boeing or any other airplane manufacturer. Any setting on this phone can either be accessed from multiple locations or settings for the same area of the phone are sometimes split into separate menus. This has been an issue with Samsung phones for what feels like forever, the feeling of being absolutely lost within the settings menu. It’s not fun, and thank goodness for the search function. Without it, you’d never find anything. When One UI was first introduced, it felt polished and slim. As we venture now into One UI 5.1, built atop Android 13, it feels like we have regressed into what can sometimes feel like a bloated mess.

Speaking of bloat, a recent report drew our attention to the actual OS size on these new Samsung devices. In the storage settings for this device, it says that the OS takes up 87GB of space, though, there has been a bit of back and forth on how accurate these numbers are. Whatever the true number may be, the fact that most Android makers have removed expandable storage remains to be an issue for many potential buyers.

Where the software pleases me is the continued steps towards improved user customization, but technically that’s a Google and Android 13 thing. On this device, under the Wallpaper and Style menu, users can enable the color palette, which is stupidly disabled out of the box. If I was Samsung, it’s something I’d want to highlight. When enabled, users can choose which colors of their set wallpaper they’d like to highlight throughout the entire OS. It really is one of the best things introduced into Android in some time (first available in Android 12), with Android 13 building even further upon it.

Samsung has also adopted it nicely by having all of its apps support the masked icons feature, but unlike Pixel devices, the masked icons carry over to the app drawer, too. Does it look great when we consider what feels like 95% of developers aren’t adopting the masked icons feature yet? No, no it doesn’t. But one day, hopefully soon (wink, wink), it won’t matter that developers are either lazy or have stopped supporting their apps.

Video

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Unboxing

First 10 Things to Do

The Verdict

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I can make this very simple. If you have a Galaxy S22 Ultra, you can skip the Galaxy S23 Ultra. If you have any other device, I recommend this phone. Even to my fellow Pixel fans, this is a really good phone that offers a ton of stuff. If you can’t live with One UI, I totally understand. However, if you’re on an aging Samsung device or finally getting ready to rid yourself of an old LG phone maybe, this is the super mega phone you want if you consider yourself a power user. For specs, there’s nothing better currently out in the Android world here in the US, so for now, Galaxy S23 Ultra is the undisputed King of Android. Haters gon’ hate, but this phone is fantastic in all of the main categories: Camera, Display, Hardware, Battery Life, and Software Updates.

If we’re looking at device purchases purely from a stance of how long something will be supported, Samsung is currently winning the race. As of now, new Samsung devices get 4 years of Android OS upgrades, plus 5 years of security patches. Even Google doesn’t match that. There’s no arguing that Samsung devices are good Android investments.