2022 Stellafane Convention
The 86th Convention of Amateur Telescope Makers on Breezy Hill in Springfield, Vermont,
the 2022 Stellafane Convention
was held on Thursday-Sunday, July 28th through 31st.
This year’s convention is dedicated to Paul Dellechaie, Optical Designer for TelVue Optics, and longtime
convention attendee. The Nagler family, our members and many
others will miss his cheerful presence.
Suggestions
Do you have a suggestion to improve any aspect of convention? We would like to hear about it! Please send them via email .
We are interested in feedback, comments or suggestions on any aspect of convention, we are always working to make improvements every year.
Thanks to All!
The Springfield Telescope Makers would like to thank all those who attended the 2022 Stellafane Convention and made it a success, especially all the volunteers and club members who help with setup, program and operations and cleanup, and all the excellent speakers who make their expertise and experience available through their talks and workshops.
To those of you who brought homemade telescopes to display on breezy hill, a special thank you for sharing your accomplishments and inspiring the next generation of telescope makers - we had a some very interesting and innovative scopes this year.
Convention Summary
Thursday evening, around dinner time, a wild rainstorm blew through Stellafane, drenching anyone caught outside. The rain kept the dust down during the Convention following a few dry weeks. The sky cleared in time for night observing. The optical competition was completed on Friday; all three days had good observing nights. The weather was in the mid to high 80's during the day, with temperatures in the low 60’s at night. Humidity was not excessive for August.
There was a small field of telescopes in both the optical and mechanical competitions, and it was a treat to see all the various designs and innovations. The optical competition,completed on Friday evening, included only small Newtonians and a compound optical.
The Saturday evening program focused on the contributions of women in astronomy. Mario Motta introduced our own Dr. Kristine Larsen to give her Stellafane Shadowgram talk “Holding up Half the Sky: Women in Astronomy”. Next, Dava Sobel, our keynote speaker, delivered an excellent keynote talk titled “Building the Glass Universe” that told the story of the women who worked at the Harvard College Observatory.
Program & Schedule
A great selection of speakers, workshops, demonstrations and events for every level: children, beginners, intermediate and advanced amateur astronomers. Click on the link above to see everything going on during convention.
Hartness House Workshop
After a two-year break, the Hartness House Workshop is scheduled to resume as part of the annual Stellafane Convention on Breezy Hill in Springfield, VT on Thursday, July 28. The theme of the event this year will be: "Eclectic Astronomy"; meaning the Workshop will offer a broad spectrum of interesting individual talks. The slate for the day will be a heterogeneous collection of high-quality presentations, on a variety of astronomical subjects, with the usual opportunity to mingle with the speakers and other attendees at the historic Hartness House Inn. As usual, the Hartness/Porter Museum of Amateur Telescope Making will be open during the day and the unique Hartness Turret Telescope will be available for nighttime observations, if the skies are clear. Dava Soble, author of Longitude, Galileo's Daughter, etc., will give the keynote presentation (a distinctly different presentation to her keynote at the Convention on Saturday).
Donors
The Springfield Telescope Makers would like to thank the following people and/or companies for donating prizes to the raffle at the 2022 Stellafane convention. We thank:
Special thanks to Tele Vue and
Al & David Nagler |
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| Books from keynote speaker Dava Sobel | |
| Firefly Books | Sky & Telescope |
| AAVSO | Stoneleaf Door Bells |
| Peter Bealo | Alan P. Witzgall |
| Phil Harrington | The Vermont Teddy Bear Company |
| Michael Petrasko | Kim & Dennis Cassia |
| Gary Cislak | Cecilia Detrich |
| John Holleran | Samantha & Shawn Emery |
| Kris Larsen | Megan & Danny Morse |
| Cherie Wilder | Terri & Steve Simoni |
Call for 2022 Convention
Photos, Videos & Reports
We would like to add your photos or convention report to our web pages, and link to your hosted videos on YouTube or other services. Your experiences gives a much more comprehensive view of the convention than we can do ourselves. Please send them via email
Photo Gallery
Photos from attendees and club members of the 2022 Stellafane Convention.
Videos of Presentations
Videos of many daytime talks and the Shadowgram and Keynote presenation are available for viewing on the Offical Stellafane YouTube Channel.
Observing Olympics
A challenge to observe at least 15 deep sky objects, accessible in small to large amateur telescopes or binoculars. This year's Observing Olympics has fun new lists of objects to search for and learn about.
This scope won:
1st Place Mechanical Design,
2nd Place Craftsmanship and
an Innovative Component Award
at the 2022 Convention
[Click to enlarge]
Telescope Competition
Details and photos of all the telescopes and other items entered in the competition, and all the winners are listed here.
Teen Robotics Program
Friday 1PM - 5PM in the Bunkhouse for teens 12-17.
The Stellafane Teen program participants this year will learn about the mission and technology behind the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Launched on the morning of December 25, 2021, the spacecraft coasted successfully into a stable orbit around Lagrange Point 2. Present operations involve precisely aligning the 18 mirror segments with the first Science images scheduled to appear this summer. Designed to perform infrared astronomy, a multi-layer heatshield will keep the instruments cool permitting a view deeper into space than before.
This will be a hands-on class where the group will work in teams to construct a JWST inspired technology that will be demonstrated at the Convention. Attendance will be first-come first-served. If you are 100% sure your teen will attend convention and will want to attend this event, then you’ll need to get them on the list. Please email us directly at robots@stellafane.org. Special note: There will be a lot of specialized instruction so you will need to be on time!
Horseshoe Pitching Contest
Held in the Swap Table Area on Friday starting at 1:00 PM (Weather Permitting) for children age 16 and under.
The overall winner of the event will win a telescope that they will assemble with “Stargazer” Steve Dodson in
the Pavilion Saturday morning.
Complete information and rules (pdf)
Sun, Moon & Twilight Data
When is Astronomical Twilight during convention? When does the sun set and the moon rise? Click to find out.
General Information
This page contains information about the convention that does not fit in elsewhere. Check this page for answers to any questions you may have.
[Click to enlarge]
Convention Policies
This page contains convention policies which we have established to insure the safety, comfort and enjoyment of convention by all who attend. In particular, please read the new Refund Policy and the Stellafane Convention Code of Conduct which were updated in 2019 and 2021 Please familiarize yourself with these policies, so that you too will have a safe and enjoyable convention.
Lodging & Campgrounds
If you are not camping at Stellafane, you will need some place to stay. Here is a listing of Motels, Hotels, Bed & Breakfasts, and Campgrounds in the area.
Directions & Maps
Need to know how to get to Stellafane? Here are written directions and a map for after you get off the Interstate. We also have a site map of the convention area. See also Local Airport Information.
Food Service
We are using the same vendor as last year: JC’s Market & Deli of North Springfield. A dinner menu from the grill will be available Thursday late afternoon / early evening along with salads, fruit and snack items. Breakfast (from 6 AM), lunch, and dinner (from 5 PM) will be available Friday and Saturday including some home cooked dinner items as well as the grill and Breakfast on Sunday morning.
A-la-carte items include:
Cheese Burgers
Sausage Grinders
Steak & Cheese Grinders
Corn Dogs
Chicken Tenders
Hash Browns
Onion Rings
Fried Dough
Mozzarella Sticks
Salads
Fruit Salads
Cookies
Water
Soda
Coffee
In addition to the a-la-carte items above, optional pre-ordered dinners are back on Saturday evening and must be ordered in advance with your registration. A choice of Chicken or Half-rack of BBQ Ribs, both meals include Corn on the Cob, Macaroni Salad and Dinner Roll for $14.99
Both Friday & Saturday night some home-cooked dinner options will also be offered al-la-carte.
Bags of Ice will also be available for you cooler.
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