2013 Stellafane Convention Schedule

Observing with the Hartness Turret Telescope

Weather permitting, we plan to have an observing session with the Hartness Turret Telescope beginning at 8:30 PM on Thursday at the Hartness House (see Map). We also expect several members of the Antique Telescope Society to have instruments set up on the lawn near the Hartness Turret Telescope, so viewing opportunities through other historic instruments is likely to be had.

Astronomy Activities for Children (Ages 5 -12)

There will be four 1-hour astronomy workshops for children held in the McGregor Observatory Library during the 2013 Stellafane Convention, and each session has a different activity. These astronomy workshops have been held at the Stellafane convention since 1995. Led by Dr. Kristine Larsen, of Central Connecticut State University and member of the Springfield Telescope Makers, each of the four 1-hour workshops includes several activities geared for children ages 5 - 12. Younger children are welcome but will need help from a parent. Due to space limitations, each workshop is limited to 25 children on a first-come basis. Each workshop has a different astronomical theme:

• Friday 11:00 AM to Noon: Models of the Solar System: construct and take home two scale models of the planets, one showing how big and small they are compared to earth, and the other how close or far they are to the sun.
• Friday 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM: Phases of the moon: Learn about why the moon has phases, what the phases are called and what they look like, and how you can see the different phases at different times of day and night. Take-homes include a moon phase flipbook and moon clock.
• Saturday 11:00 AM to Noon: How telescopes work: Discover how lenses and mirrors work, and how astronomers put them together to make telescopes. Take-homes do NOT include a telescope!
• Saturday 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM: Phun with Photons: Discover how astronomers use light to understand stars. Take-homes include diffraction glasses and UV beads.

First-come, first-served and limited to 25 children each session. Late-comers may be turned away.

Astronomy Activities for Teens (Ages 12-16)

There will be two 1-hour astronomy related activities for teens this year hosted by Liz Sharpe and Jean Zuhl:

• Friday 11:00 AM to Noon in the Amphitheatre: Scavenger Hunt for Tweens and Teens Attendees age 12-16 are invited to learn about the history and grounds of Stellafane by participating in a scavenger hunt. Participants will be asked to complete various tasks that will take them all over Stellafane and introduce them to some of the more important aspects of the convention: the Pink Clubhouse, the Porter Turret, the Bunkhouse, the McGregor, and the Flanders Pavilion.
• Saturday 11:00 AM to Noon in the Program Room in the Flanders Pavilion: Comets - Inside and Out Attendees age 12-16 will learn about the components of a comet, and make an edible model of one. (Space is limited for this program)

Solar Observing

All attendees with solar filters or projection set-ups are encouraged to share the sun with other attendees. The McGregor and Porter Turret  will be set up for solar observing as well.

Solar System Walk

Meet at Green Shed on south side of Clubhouse, Friday and Saturday 1:00 PM. Presented by Allen Tinker.

To illustrate the vast size of outer space, the Springfield Telescope Makers have constructed a scale model of the solar system, based on the Sun being 12 inches in diameter. At that scale, the Earth would be approximately 1/10 of an inch in diameter and 107 feet from the Sun. Jupiter would be 1.2 inches in diameter and approximately 560 feet from the Sun.

The “Solar System Walk” begins behind the Pink Clubhouse and proceeds down the road going towards the Stellafane camping area. At the appropriate distance from the scale model of the Sun, there are stations with the appropriate planet, built to scale, and a short description of each planet. The Solar System walk can be taken on your own at any time during the convention. However, a guided walk is available at the times mentioned above, when docent Allen Tinker will provide additional information about the “Solar System Walk” and each particular planet. The walk takes approximately ¾ of an hour, if you walk all the way to the planet Neptune, with a total distance of 3,232 feet or a little over ½ of a mile.

The Transit of Venus - A Journey through History...

Presented by Carl Malikowski on Friday, August 9 at 11:00 AM in the Flanders Pavilion

Join Carl Malikowski as we discuss this celestial event through time and its significance in helping shape astronomical knowledge and astronomy as we know today. We'll look at the event, those who took part on recording them, and why they, along with other similar events are so important to the astronomical community. This class is for both beginners and experienced alike.

A Dipper Full of Stars

Presented by Richard Sanderson, Saturday 11:00 AM in the Flanders Pavilion (New to Astronomy Topic).

Using stunning images of constellations, planets, and celestial objects, Richard Sanderson will lead an interpretive tour of the summer nighttime sky. He will describe how the sky appears to move throughout the night and from season to season, and explain the significance of the North Star. He will speculate about life on other worlds and show many of the prominent summer constellations. The presentation is aimed at beginners of all ages.

Rewriting History (DASCH Project at Harvard)

Presented by David Sliski on Friday, August 9 at 1:00 PM in the McGregor Observatory Library (Advanced Topic).

The DASCH project or the Digital Access to a Sky Century at Harvard aims to rewrite analogue glass plates on to hard drives by using a custom built scanner. The goal is to open up a new way to explore the cosmos using a 100 year baseline to do time domain astronomy.  As the plates are digitized a century of handwriting on the plates is being photographed and then erased. Questions have come up regarding what should be saved and how. At the conclusion of the talk the presenter hopes to have a discussion about the merits of different choices that can be made to preserve the history and heritage of the Harvard Plate Stack Collection. 

The Wonderful World of Wide Angle Astroimaging

Presented by Al Takeda, Friday (Intermediate Topic).
Talk 2:00 PM in the Flanders Pavilion; Demonstration 8:00 PM near the Domed Observatory.

Using a telescope gives us a marvelous ability to photograph high resolution details of an astronomical object. But, if we want to image a planetary conjunction, a meteor shower, or the Milky Way stretching across the backbone of night, we will need lower focal length, wide angle optics.

 In this presentation, Al Takeda will discuss how to image a wider view of the universe. Topics will include matching the lens to your subject, tracking the stars with your mount, focusing a wide angle camera lens, shutter control, and problems that happen when you image a large swath of the sky. Al will demonstrate wide field techniques in real time on Friday evening only. The location will be next to the Domed Observatory.

Telescope Field Walk

Led by Carl Malikowski and John Vogt, Saturday, 10AM in front of the Clubhouse.

During the “Telescope Field Walk” experienced Amateur Telescope Makers will guide small groups through the fields around the Pink Clubhouse, where the telescopes that will be participating in the mechanical competition will be set up. They will describe the various types of optical designs and mounting configurations that will be on display, point out the subtle details that go into award winning telescopes and be available to answer your questions.

Introduction to Stellafane

Friday at 7:00PM, Saturday at 10:00 AM in the McGregor Observatory Library (New to Astronomy topic).

Presented by Kim Cassia, Dennis Cassia, Gary Cislak.

Are you familiar with these terms: “The Pink”, “Tent Talks” or “The Turret”? If not, if this is your first time attending the Stellafane convention or if you are returning and want to learn more about who the Springfield Telescope Makers are, as well as what is going on during the convention, then this presentation is for you. Topics include, but are not limited to: A short history of Stellafane, a description of our site, including the buildings and landmarks, descriptions of the scheduled talks and activities, services available at Stellafane, local services off site, etc., in addition to answering any questions you may have about the convention.

Mirror Class to Competition: First Time Builder’s Experience

Presented by Cecilia Detrich on Friday, August 8 at 1:00 PM in the Flanders Pavilion.

The experiences of how a math-phobe, complete amateur built her first telescope and not only entered it in the Stellafane competition, but won!

Starhopping for Beginners

Presented by Kris Larsen on Friday, August 9 at 2:00 PM in the McGregor Library.

What do astronomers and kangaroos have in common? They hop! Learn how to use binoculars and backyard telescopes to locate double stars, clusters, galaxies, and more through the process known as starhopping.

Automating An Amateur Observatory

Presented by Alan Sliski on Friday, August 9 at 4:00 PM in the McGregor Observatory Library.

Automating an amateur observatory offers several advantages over more manual or local control. Once the observer can be separated from the telescope, in a warm room next door, or on the other side of the world, the environment for the observer and telescope can be independently controlled. The present state of the art in software and hardware for accomplishing this will be described, along with advice for planning the observing system. A good block diagram, prepared in advance, is a great beginning for the project, and an example will be shown. Peripheral equipment such as cloud sensors, safety switches, and remote controlled outlets will be described. My own preference is to convert all communications to Ethernet for distance and electrical isolation benefits. Configuring a computer and software can be a challenge, but the high level of automation available to amateurs today is the reward.

Meteorites for Everyone

Presented by Bob Veilleux at 5:30 PM on Friday, August 8 in the McGregor Observatory Library (Beginner Level).

Bob will be talking all about meteorites including the recent Chelyabinsk meteorite event of Feb. 15, 2013. He will be bringing along a number of meteorites from his collection of over 350 different meteorites from all over the Earth, Moon and Mars.

Youth Astronomy Competition

Presented by Samantha Tabor, Friday, August 8 at 4:00 PM in the Flanders Pavilion Program Room.

Children ages 5-16 will compete by answering astronomy questions to win the 2013 Stargazer Steve telescope, with specific rules to be explained at the event.  Stargazer Steve has been donating a telescope to a youth for many conventions, and the tradition continues again this year.  The formal presentation will occur at the Saturday evening program, but often Steve assists with assembly and some instruction prior to that time.  Please note that children who have previously won a Stargazer Steve telescope are not eligible to win, but may still compete for the fun of playing only.

Lunar Drawing

Presented by Paul Cicchetti on Saturday, August 10 at 1PM in the McGregor Observatory Library.

During this session, the audience will be introduced to a technique that has been used by the presenter for over 30 years. He will go through a step-by-step process that can be used by an individual to produce fine recordings of one's observation of the moon or lunar features. Also, during this time, the audience can try their hand at performing this technique. It is hoped by the presenter that by bestowing this method to the audience, they can achieve a greater appreciation for what the ancient astronomers attained before the advent of film or CCD cameras; maybe some will even take up lunar drawing as part of their normal observations.

Double Stars are Twice the Fun

Presented by Glenn Chaple on Saturday, August 10 at 3PM in the McGregor Observatory Library.

"Double Stars are Twice the Fun" will begin with an overview of the nature of double stars and a history of their discovery. The bulk of the presentation will center on visual observing of double stars with backyard telescopes. A description of some of the best showpiece pairs and a listing of resources for double star observers will round out the talk.

An Introduction to Telescopes for All Ages

Presented by Glenn Chaple & Alan French, Saturday, 5:00 PM in the McGregor Observatory Library (New to Astronomy Topic)

Adults and youngsters often become interested in astronomy and acquiring a telescope for exploring the heavens. With the plethora of telescopes on the market, buying your first telescope, or a telescope for a child, can be intimidating. In this program Alan French & Glenn Chapel will cover telescope basics (types, mounts, and eyepieces), telescopes suitable for children, and introduce you to observing and finding sights in the night sky.

Discover and Enjoy the Night Sky

Presented by Steve Dodson and John Briggs
Saturday, 10:00 PM in the McGregor Observatory Library (New to Astronomy Topic) Held regardless of weather and appropriate for all ages.

Using free Stellarium software, Steve and John will introduce beginners to observing the sky, including identifying the constellations, the Milky Way, and planets. Weather permitting we shall work outdoors after a brief, fun introduction in the Library.

How the Porter Turret Telescope Came About

Presented by Bert Willard, Stellafane Historian, Friday, 3:00 PM in the Flanders Pavilion.

This talk traces the origin of the Porter Turret Telescope back to Port Clyde, Maine where Porter first lived after retiring from his arctic explorations. There he built a 16-inch polar telescope - drawings and performance will be discussed. The mirrors eventually ended up in his turret telescope. Construction photos, and later mirror replacement photos, will be shown. Its relationship to other turret telescopes will be mentioned, and current activities with the telescope demonstrated.

The Aurora: A Plasma Experiment - Research from Sounding Rockets and the Ground

Presented by Dave McGaw, Friday, 4:00 PM in the Flanders Pavilion, Intermediate Topic.

A survey of a current auroral research program, including ground-based and rocket observations of the phenomenon.

From Asteroids to Virgin Galactic: Successful Student "Space Programs"

Presented by Ron Dantowitz, Director of the Clay Center Observatory at Dexter Southfield School, in Brookline, MA, Saturday at 2:00 PM in the McGregor Observatory Library.

Come and be inspired by success stories of student astronomers and citizen scientists, and learn how you too can start your own "Space Program"!  Topics will include current opportunities at NASA and other organizations for you to become involved in cutting edge astronomy and space science, even if you do not own a telescope. This presentation is for all ages, and will be enjoyed by anyone who loves science and adventure!

Pan-STARRS: Gigapixel Astronomy with Atmospheric Distortion Correction

Presented by Bernie Kosicki on Saturday, August 10 2:00 PM in the Flanders Pavilion.

The Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) is an innovative wide-field imaging facility developed at the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy.

The combination of four relatively small mirrors (1.8 m) with very large digital cameras (1.4 Gpixels each) results in an economical system that can observe the entire available sky several times each month. The redundancy offered by using multiple mirrors to view the same area of the sky also allows for economical use of not-quite-perfect imager chips.

This seminar describes the technology behind the gigapixel Pan-STARRS charge-coupled device (CCD) focal plane developed and constructed at Lincoln Laboratory. This is the largest focal plane ever constructed for astronomy. A second unique feature of this focal plane is the use of the orthogonal-transfer CCD (OTCCD) as the basic imaging cell for this very large focal plane. Pan-STARRS is also the first large-scale use of OTCCD technology, which allows compensation of the translational-movement component of atmospheric distortion. The focal plane design enables atmospheric compensation to be individually implemented for each 10 × 10 arc-minute portion of the total 3-degree-wide image and accounts for the exceptional ability of the system to do very accurate astrometry.

The primary purpose of Pan-STARRS is to detect potentially hazardous objects in the solar system, but its ability to map very large areas of sky to great sensitivity and its ability to find faint moving or variable objects make the system uniquely valuable for a large number of other scientific purposes. The prototype single-mirror telescope PS1 is now operational on Mount Haleakala.

Make Your Own Observatory

Presented by Phil Harrington on Saturday, August 10 at 1:00 PM in the Flanders Pavilion. Advanced Topic.

Have you ever wanted your own observatory? We all have. Phil realized his dream in 2004, and discusses the planning that went into building Star Watcher Observatory in this illustrated presentation. This talk also discusses strategies for planning a backyard observatory and reviews some other amateur creations.

Telescope Mirrors in the Age of Expensive Glass

Presented by Larry Shaper at 3:00 PM on Saturday, August 10 in the Flanders Pavilion. Advanced Topic.

Larry Shaper will talk about a figure-of-merit he developed to compare the performance of Borosilicate glass and ordinary glass, as well as other unusual materials, in both making the mirror and using the mirror to observe.

Lunar Geology with a CCD

Presented by Richard Jakiel on Saturday, August 10 at 4:00 PM in the Flanders Pavilion.

Today's amateur is now capable of producing spectacular Lunar images that were only possible using an orbiter a generation ago. With a DSLR, CCD and/or planetary imaging camera it is now possible to image the lunar surface with sub-arcsecond resolution using only modest backyard equipment. In my talk, I plan to discuss lunar geology and evolution of the surface features. I will discuss the formation of the mare, craters and crater evolution, lunar tectonics, volcanism, lunar surface chemistry and other, more elusive and unusual features.

Friday Evening Videos

Friday at 7:00 PM in the Flanders Pavilion.

Short astronomy documentaries for the whole family. A limited number of DVDs of some of the NASA videos shown will be given away to attendees.

Friday Evening Informal Talks

Friday evening at 8:30 p.m. Bruce Beford, of the Springfield Telescope Makers, will conduct the informal talks in the Flanders Pavilion. If you wish to contribute a short talk during this session, please register online. Talks are limited to 10 minutes and 20 slides. The time limit will be strictly enforced! A 35-mm slide projector, overhead projector, VCR, and a digital projector will be available for your use. Note that if you plan to use the digital projector, you must bring your own laptop.

Mirror Making Demonstration

Tent north of the Flanders Pavilion, Friday and Saturday 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM.
This is a HANDS-ON mirror making demonstration - Gain first-hand experience working on mirrors at every stage of grinding, polishing and testing. Experienced ATMs will help explain each step of the process and answer any questions you may have.

Bring your own mirror for testing between 2:00 and 4:00 PM either day.

The 24" mirror we have been working on for several years will be available for grinding - please sign the log book when you work on it.

Same schedule both days:

• 10:00 Introduction & Rough Grinding - Ray Morits
• 10:30 Fine Grinding - Rick Hunter
• 11:00 Making Dental Stone Tools - Junie Esslinger
• 11:30 Making a Pitch Lap - Phil Rouseville
• 1:00 Polishing and Figuring - Dave Groski
• 2:00 - 4:00 Testing - Dave Kelly (Fri) and Dick Parker (Sat) Bring your own mirror to be tested
• 3:00 - Dobsonian Basics - Ken Slater

Shuttle Bus

The Shuttle Bus makes two stops in Stellafane East, one by the Food Tent and one by the main Camping Area (See Stellafane East Site Map (pdf)). It makes one stop on Breezy Hill near the Clubhouse.

The Porter-Hartness Museum of Amateur Telescope Making

The Porter-Hartness Museum of Amateur Telescope Making is located in the underground rooms at the Hartness House Inn. Visit the museum on Friday from 5:00pm to 8:00 pm or Sunday from 9:00am to Noon. Admission is free. Follow the signs in town to the Hartness House at 30 Orchard Street of VT-143 (Map). Many of the items on display are by or about Russell W. Porter, including the Springfield and Garden telescopes. His artwork traces his arctic exploration years to his work on the 200" Palomar telescope, culminating in his famous cutaway drawings. Other items of interest include early telescopes and mirror making parts.  The Hartness turret telescope, with its 10" Brashear objective, may also be inspected.

Telescope Optical & Mechanical Competition

Detailed information about the Telescope Competition is on the Telescope Competition Page.

Saturday Evening Program

The evening program will begin at 7:00 p.m. Saturday in the hillside amphitheater (In case of inclement weather, the program will be held inside the Flanders Pavilion). John Gallagher, of the Springfield Telescope Makers, will be master of ceremonies.

• Greetings, announcements, children's raffle and raffle drawing
• Stellafane Shadowgram: John Bortle
• Presentation of Telescope Competition Awards
• Stellafane Keynote Talk: Comet Tales: Our changing view of these cosmic vagabonds
  by Guy Consolmagno

Brother Guy Consolmagno SJ is a planetary scientist who serves as Curator of Meteorites at the Vatican Observatory. A native of Detroit, he studied at MIT (SB 1974, SM 1975) and Arizona (PhD 1978), worked at Harvard and MIT, served in the Peace Corps, and taught university physics before entering the Jesuits in 1989. At the Vatican Observatory since 1993, he studies the physics of meteorites and asteroids, and has written several popular books on astronomy and his life as a Jesuit scientist. In 2007 he served as chair of the American Astronomical Society's Division for Planetary Sciences, and he is a past officer of the International Astronomical Union, who named asteroid 4597 Consolmagno in his honor. Along with a number of popular books on his life and work as an astronomer at the Vatican. He also co-authored with Dan M. Davis the amateur astronomy guidebook Turn Left at Orion.

Saturday Swap Tables & Commercialism Policy

The Swap Tables (located at the northeast edge of the main camping/parking area) are provided to give amateurs an opportunity to trade, buy or sell their surplus astronomical and telescope related items. They operate from 7:00 a.m. to noon on Saturday.

POLICY OF THE SPRINGFIELD TELESCOPE MAKERS REGARDING COMMERCIALISM
AND THE SWAP TABLES AT THE CONVENTION

The Springfield Telescope Makers, Inc. has clarified its policy regarding commercialism and Swap Table sales at the Stellafane convention. For the sake of historical continuity, to preserve the uniqueness of the Stellafane convention and to encourage conventioneers to build their own instruments, the Springfield Telescope Makers, Inc. do not allow commercial sales, of any kind, at the Stellafane convention. All swap table sales must comply, in concept, with the above objective but are also specifically subject to the following criteria:

1.  Only surplus astronomical, telescope and telescope making related items may be sold.
2.  Each person will be allowed 16 square feet of table or ground space.
3.  Items which have the appearance of being specifically purchased or manufactured for sale at the Swap Tables may not be sold.
4.  All sales must take place within the designated Swap Table area only between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., the Saturday of the Stellafane convention.
   

The Springfield Telescope Makers, Inc. may choose to grant a limited exception to the above policies to astronomy related organizations for their fundraising. Any request for an exemption must be made, in writing, at least one month prior to the convention. If granted, the President of the Springfield Telescope Makers, Inc. will notify the requesting organization in writing.

Any member of the Springfield Telescope Makers, Inc. has the authority to determine whether a party is in compliance with the established regulations. Any person who is found to be in violation of the stated policies will be required to comply. Failing compliance, the offending party will be asked to leave the convention and may be escorted from the premises by convention security.

The Springfield Telescope Makers, Inc. encourages those with questions regarding this policy to contact the Club
via the Stellafane web page (www.stellafane.com). During the convention, any questions regarding this policy, the appropriateness of items being displayed, or any information being disseminated should be directed to a member of the Springfield Telescope Makers, Inc.