2015 Convention Photos

Here are photos of the 2015 Convention taken by the Springfield Telescope Makers and by Convention Attendees.

Whether you attended and want to try to find yourself in photo, or you couldn't attend and want to see what went on, you can spend some time browsing our gallery of general photos.

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Photos by Ken Slater Ken Slater of the Springfield Telescope Makers

Breezy Hill, Saturday Morning:

The judges meet in the clubhouse before going out to look at the scopes.	Carl Malikowski talks to the telescope field walk group he will lead around and explain what makes each scope unique.	The base for the new Spectrohelioscope observatory.	Susan Wieder and Dave Siegrist	Many of the telescopes and related objects in the competition on Saturday morning.	This young lady asked me to take here picture by the Porter Sundial on the Clubhouse.
Dave Kelly's Maksutov (This Row)	Dave Kelly's Maksutov	Dave Kelly's Maksutov	Dave Kelly's Maksutov	Dave Kelly's Maksutov

The Saturday Evening Program:

Real Manseau and Maryann Arrien	Master of Ceremonies John Gallagher	President Dave Tabor	Real Manseau presents an Armillary Sphere to the club.	The Sky Box above the crowd
	We had a capacity crowd in the pavilion, and it spilled out all the doors.	This girl won a book in the children's raffle.	This girl one a fun scope in the children's raffle.	Drawing and Reading Ticket Numbers in the Adult Raffle.	Steve Dodson (donor) presents a telescope to the teenage telescope winner.
Dennis di Ciccio was presented the NERAL Walter Scott Houston award by Maryann Arrien.	Dennis di Ciccio thanks everyone for the NERAL Walter Scott Houston award.	Head optical judge Rick Hunter proposes a change to the optical judging.	John Bortle delivers the Shadowgram.	Dr. Allan Stern, principal investigator of the New Horizons project, delivers an awesome and inspiring keynote speech.

Speaker photos by Eileen Myers, STM

Dr. Arne Henden: Science with your Digital SLR Camera	Dr. Daniel A. Klinglesmith III: Why Asteroid Light Curves?	Carl Malikowski (STM): The History of New England Astronomy	Al Rifkin (STM): Twinkle Little Star, Power= I²R	Richard Sanderson: A Dipper Full of Stars	Dr. Sara J. Schechner: These Are Not Your Mother’s Sundials
Alan Sliski: Restoration of a 1916 Warner & Swasey Telescope	Al Takeda: Deep Sky Imaging with Small Scopes		Francis J. O’Reilly, Esq. (STM): MC for the Friday and Saturday Afternoon Talks	Don Schwarzkopf (STM) and Zhenya Malikowsi (STM): Our A/V Team	Saturday afternoon audience in the Pavilion

Astrophotos by Jim Erickson, STM

Miscellaneous photos by The Springfield Telescope Makers

Big and Little Dippers over the clubhouse on Saturday by Rick Hunter

Club secretary Carl Malikowski has a new job: Walking Bingo the Goat. by Carl Malikowski

Slide used while remembering our passed club members this year: 'Old Uncle' Bill Kuriskin, Bob 'Doc' Jackson, Carl Breuning, and Jonathan Morse. Illustration by Tom Spirock, meteor photo by Dennis di Cicco

Club Vice President and Webmaster Ken Slater at convention by Melinda Callis

Keynote speaker Dr. Alan Stern with our own 'Admiral' Alan Stern near the clubhouse.

A New Horizons mission bumper sticker.

Hartness House Workshop photos by Jim Hendrickson
2015 Topic: Innovation in Astronomy Education & Outreach

Workshop organizer John Briggs (STM).	Workshop registrar Dan Lorraine.	STM President Dave Tabor welcomes attendees.	Speaker Professor Kristine Larsen, Central Connecticut State University (STM).	Speaker Shauna Edson, Astronomy Educator, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC.	Speaker Scott Mitchell, Acting Director, Emera Astronomy Center, Orono, Maine.
Speaker Brad P. Vietje, Northeast Kingdom Astronomy Foundation, Peacham, Vermont (STM).	Speaker William Vinton, Northeast Kingdom Astronomy Foundation and St. Johnsbury Academy, St. Johnsbury, Vermont.	Speaker Dr. Daniel A. Klinglesmith III, Research Scientist, Magdalena Ridge Observatory, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.	Speaker John Blackwell, Science Chair and Director, Grainger Observatory, Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, New Hampshire.	Speaker Caroline E. Odden, Director, Phillips Academy Observatory, Andover, Massachusetts.	Speaker Professor Paula Turner, Kenyon College; Director, CUREA Program, Mount Wilson Observatory.
Speaker Dr. Michael Faison, Director, Leitner Family Observatory, Yale University.	Banquet Speaker Charles N. Fulco, Director of Space & Environmental Sciences, Port Chester Public Schools, New York.	Workshop participants look over the Hartness Turret Telescope.	Workshop participant Larry Berz at the Hartness Turret Telescope eyepiece.	Workshop participant Graeme Birchall sets up a tunable solar telescope.	Workshop participant Keith Goodale (STM) uses a solar telescope.
Workshop attendees in the Hartness-Porter Telescope Making Museum.	Bert Willard, club historian and museum curator, in the museum.	Richard Sanderson, of the Springfield, Massachusetts Science Museum, in the Telescope Making Museum.	Hartness House after dark.	The Brashear Objective of the Hartness Turret Telescope	Al Nagler (STM) in the Hartness Turret Telescope, waiting for a turn at the eyepiece.

Photos by Jim Hendrickson

Matt Considine's Schupmann - Matt in club shirt near center, Dave Groski far right, Steve Hubbard far left.	Resting at the Clubhouse: (L to R) Two conventioneers, STM members Bert Willard (green hat), Dave Prowten, Al Rifkin, Dave Siegrist.	Looking north out of the clubhouse to the Porter Turret. Two solar plates from Mount Wilson cover the top part of the window.	This plate in a window of the clubhouse from Mount Wilson has spectral lines from several stars.	South observing field on Friday afternoon, as the big Dobs start to sprout.	The Springfield Cub Scout city, this year near the swap tables.
Houston Hollow, with Scotty's trailer behind a memorial to him.	Glenn Jackson behind the Flander's Pavilion.	Phil Rounseville demonstrates lap making in the Mirror Making Demo tent. Rick Hunter, club shirt, standing near center.	Al Takeda of ATMoB presenting his very popular astrophotography with a DSLR talk.	Shield Up! Clubhouse light shields are raised as nightfall approaches.	Two beautiful classic refactors point towards the sunset on Breezy Hill Friday evening.
	While there was a bit of observing Friday night, overall the clouds won, and optical competition was postponed until Saturday.	This twin engine classic plane, with an old-style US Air Force insignia, flew over Stellafane on Saturday.	Early Saturday night we had low fog and it did not look promising.	Later Saturday night, the clouds cleared out, and there was good observing and the optical competition was completed.

Photos by Phil Levine

Natalie Dodson (STM) chats with others in front of the Porter Turret Telescope.	Friday afternoon on Breezy Hill, with a poster of Glenn Jackson's 14-inch Dob in the foreground.	Tracking the setting sun, the boom of the Porter Turret Telescope gets down into the clearance trench to point low to the west.	An antique refractor on Breezy Hill.	John Briggs (STM) with a antique refractor - John is an antique scope affectionado.	Late in the day, taking it easy in the shade on Breezy Hill.
	It's all done with mirrors, and this 12-inch primary is scraping the ground while solar tracking.	An 8-inch yellow long focus Dob and a very nice red binocular scope.	Al Takeda sets up for his astrophotography demonstration.	During our Solar Observing Hour, this scope was set up on the south observing field.

Photos by Marlin May

An empty Flanders Pavilion stands ready for Convention.	Betelgeuse, our 'Red Giant' hot water boiler behind the pavilion.	Anti-gravity still seems to be working here.	The New Hampshire Astronomical Society set up on the lower hill.	Does that sign say what I think it does? Free 20-inch scopes are scarce! :-)
	Marlin in the Mirror: Photographer Marlin May takes a selfie with this big Dob.	The Dino Argentini scope in the domed observatory. Alan Rifkin, STM, explains at right.	Jim Daley (STM, right) shows off one of his Schupmann refractors.	The Federation stakes out a campsite with flags. Shuttlecraft does not look like the most current model.	Marlin May with keynote speaker Dr. Alan Stern.

Photos by Richard Sanderson

People in the Hartness-Porter Museum of Amateur Telescope Making, in the underground complex at the Hartness House.	The casting made by the club for the first attempt to install a Spectrohelioscope on Breezy Hill in the 1930's.	A "Moon Watch" telescope from the post WWII era.	Richard Sanderson inside the Hartness Turret Telescope.	A view of the Stellafane Clubhouse from the northwest.	The Tardis Scope - because it has "more room inside then it appears from the outside".
Real Manseau and club president Dave Tabor in the clubhouse with the Armillary Sphere Real donated to the club this year.	Close-up of Real Manseau's Armillary Sphere, which he donated to Stellafane.	Glenn Jackson's Dob.	Dave Groski (STM) with this year's restoration project.	A view of the South Observing field from the southwest.	A view of the South Observing Field from the north, in front of the McGregor Observatory.
Phil Harrington sets up his scope.	Long time Canadian attendee Constantine Papacosmas in the clubhouse.	Al Takeda sets up his astrophotography rig.	Jessica Johnson holds a Stellafane rock used in her geology tour.	Kerry Hurd, Scott Tracy and Ken Slater (STM) in the pavilion.	An overflow crowd in the pavilion for the Saturday Evening Program.

Photos by Bob Horton

Four Old Telescopes on Breezy Hill.

A Stellafane Sunset.

The McGregor Observatory at night.

The Milky Way over Stellafane.

McGregor Observatory under the eastern stars. Andromeda galaxy easy to pick out a to the lower left of center.

A red Schupmann telescope in the McGregor Observatory.

Photos by Sal LaRiccia

Jim Daley (STM) by the historic Springfield mounted telescope.	Al Tinker (STM) checks the clubhouse log book.	Dennis di Cicco (STM) in the Sky & Telescope camping area.	George & Matthew East in the McGregor Observatory.	Al Takeda demonstrating astrophotography by the domed observatory - he always gets a crowd!	Plenty of activity at the swap tables.
Walt Wheeler (STM) at the swap tables.	Sal LaRiccia, Paul Valleli (STM) and Dennis di Cicco (STM) on the clubhouse wall.	Ken Slater (STM) takes down the flag and folds it as the sun sets.	Sal LaRiccia and Dr. Alan Stern in the pavilion before the Saturday Evening Program.	Children mob the podium during the children's raffle.	Dr. Alan Stern gave away some New Horizons bumper stickers - here is one lucky winner.

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