2026 Stellafane News
Scroll down for Events or News from Other Years
2026 Up-All-Night Spring Edition Report
[2026-June-04] The Spring edition of the annual Up-All-Night open house & star party at Stellafane was held the nights of May 22nd & 23rd. Even though the skies were cloudy, for most of both evenings, the Springfield Telescope Makers welcomed nigh 30 guests from the local community who made the trek up Breezy Hill. The half Moon was visible, between the clouds, for a bit during the evening of the 22nd, so guests who arrived early did get a few views through the Porter Turret Telescope at our closest celestial neighbor.
To compensate for the poor condition of the skies, a presentation about observing the night sky was given as well as a demonstration of how Amateur Telescope Makers grind their own mirrors (if you’re interested in learning how to make your own telescope mirror you can take our mirror grinding and telescope making class which starts in October).
Please note that the Fall edition of the Up-All-Night open house & star party at Stellafane is scheduled for the nights of October 16th and 17th. We hope to see you then and please contact us if you have any questions. Clear skies. The STMs.
Join us for the Up-All-Night Spring Edition Next Weekend!
[2026-May-11] The Springfield Telescope Makers, wishing to share our love of telescope making and of astronomy, hold a free event open to the public; our annual open house and star party known as Up All Night. In case of inclement weather, we will have other events scheduled. Please come and enjoy light refreshments and let us make you fall in love with our hobby. You won’t regret it! Follow the signs along Breezy Hill Road to our Pink Clubhouse on Breezy Hill in Springfield, VT. Below are but a small sample of this event.
Click here to download the PDF announcement.
Convention Registration is now Open!
[2026-May-1] It's May 1st, and we've been busy behind the scenes to be able to open Convention Registration.
But wait, there's more! We have a brand new Convention website to show you. Point your browser to https://www.stellafanevt.org/. This is brand new website dedicated to Convention, and we hope to eventually transition all of our content to it over time. But for now, what this means for you:
Convention Registration, and all other Convention-related registrations are to occur through this new website. Convention, Hartness House Workshop, and Saturday Night Dinner.
Plus new this year, and only this year, is our one-time Stellafane And Beyond Documentary Premiere event that was posted about earlier, so make sure to grab some tickets for it through Convention Registration if you are doing that.
This year is a special year for us, as we are celebrating yet another Anniversary. While 2023 celebrated the centennial of the Springfield Telescope Makers, and we celebrated the Pink Clubhouse in 2024, this year we are celebrating the Convention's Centennial. While Convention missed a few years due to several important factors, we are celebrating what occured on Breezy Hill on July 3rd and 4th, 1926, where amateur telescope makers came from New England, New York, Maryland and Virginia, and enjoyed showing off what they were building. That little group of Twenty registered guests and hosts couldn't have imagined that this gathering would have continued for another 100 years. So join us in celebration, will you?
Please note: This Website is not going away for the time being. We will be having two active websites going forward until a time we get everything squared away.
The STMs had a blast at NEAF!
[2026-April-27] The Springfield Telescope Makers had another fantastic weekend at NEAF! We are grateful to the Rockland Astronomy Club for their support. The exhibit at Tele Vue’s booth honoring the work and life of our member Al Nagler was very moving and inspirational.
It was fun to catch up with our Stellafane friends and to introduce telescope making to some new people. The visit from the Los Angeles Astronomical Society was very exciting because this group was also founded by our founder, Russell Porter. We hope to see you all at our 2026 Stellafane Convention this summer, August 13-16. We will celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the first convention in 1926!
Introducing the Second Century Plan
Makers © 2026
[2026-April-10] To friends of Stellafane,
The Springfield Telescope Makers are pleased to announce the historic adoption of our Second Century Strategic Plan as approved by our membership in February 2026. The plan will guide the club’s ongoing development and activities at the forefront of amateur astronomy and telescope making.
Strategic Objectives:
• STM will continue to enhance our role as the leaders in preserving and sharing
the craft of amateur telescope making, including expanding into new techniques
and engaging new audiences.
• STM believes our spectacular acreage and dark skies at Breezy Hill as our
greatest asset, and we will work to improve and protect it.
• To improve our impact, we will focus on growing our membership base and
strengthening the organization’s financial foundations.
Why This Matters: To preserve and share hands-on amateur telescope making, dark sky observation and Stellafane, the historic birthplace of the amateur telescope making movement, for future generations.
What Success Looks Like: Future generations are still building telescopes on Breezy Hill, learning directly from our members, while the club strengthens community connections, supports the town of Springfield, VT and keeps Stellafane as an active and living landmark.
How People Can Contribute: By becoming members or contributing to support amateur telescope making, teaching and mentoring youth and adults, volunteering at events, helping to care for the land and protecting the dark skies through dark sky advocacy in Vermont and helping to welcome visitors who visit Stellafane.
Please visit our website Help Stellafane Page for more information about Stellafane and how you can participate in supporting our Second Century Strategic Plan and our mission to stimulate interest in astronomy and allied sciences by preserving and fostering the skill of amateur telescope making. Or reach out directly to me via email. We look forward to welcoming you to Stellafane. How will you be a part of this historic endeavor?
I am grateful for all the hard work, deep thinking, and dedication that our board, members, community partners, students and guests put into these proposals over the past year. We are now beginning the work to spiral up to meet our goals and to preserve Stellafane for future generations. Look for more exciting developments this year as the real work on our Second Century Plan begins and our ideas become reality to benefit future generations.
Clear skies,
Cecilia Detrich
President
Springfield Telescope Makers (Stellafane)
president@stellafane.org
Come Visit us at NEAF!
2026 - April 11-12
[2026-Apr-06] Spring means flowers blooming, but it also means we start doing more outreach. It's this time of year where the STMs will be at NEAF (Northeast Astronomical Forum) in Suffern, NY. Come visit us at our booth on April 11-12 (next weekend). We will have lots of fun stuff on hand, including mirror grinding. Who knows, you might find yourself a new hobby? Below is just a sample of our activities. We look forward to meeting all of you!
'Stellafane And Beyond' Press Release
[2026-March-26] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
SPRINGFIELD TELESCOPE MAKERS AND MOOSEY PRODUCTIONS ANNOUNCE THE RELEASE DATE
OF THE FEATURE FILM “STELLAFANE AND BEYOND.”
Springfield, Vermont – March 1, 2026 – Science-based nonprofit Springfield Telescope Makers and documentary film maker Tara Roberts Zabriskie announce the premier of her latest effort – “Stellafane and Beyond,” a feature film that transports its audience from a renowned astronomy shrine into the farthest reaches of space inspired by the art and history of amateur telescope making.
“The best optics in the world are made with two hands - not with machines, not with computers, not with any of that” - Phil Rounsville, featured in the film, is a professional optical engineer who develops high precision optics for NASA’s space telescopes and other clients who need the very best technology. Phil’s journey and impact began at the iconic star party Stellafane on Breezy Hill where he was inspired to craft his first telescope.
"This film started as a much smaller project in my mind, but after meeting the Springfield Telescope Makers and learning about their deep history and widespread influence on the world of science and space exploration, I realized that there was much more to the story that I needed to tell” said Tara Roberts Zabriskie, filmmaker.
“Over the last century, many of these telescope makers worked on projects for NASA, the military, and the CIA influencing development of space telescopes, spy satellites and infrared military cameras. Those interviewed in our film and their predecessors are some of the best at what they do, all because they got inspired and learned skills from this small telescope-making club in southern Vermont. I want this film to reach curious minds of all ages and inspire exploration of the art and science of telescopes and amateur telescope making.”
"Stellafane and Beyond" will premiere on August 14, 2026, in Springfield, Vermont, and planning is underway. Please hold the date and future information regarding the premier will be found on the Springfield Telescope Makers' website stellafane.org, and from Moosey Productions, mooseyproductions.com.
Founded in 1923, the Springfield Telescope Makers celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the Stellafane Convention this summer and continue to focus on their mission to “stimulate interest in astronomy and allied sciences by preserving and fostering the skill of amateur telescope making.”
Moosey Productions is an independent film company focusing on documentary projects that create hope and inspire change in the areas of nature, science, health and history.
Press Release PDF with Contact Info | Click to View Trailer (Youtube) | Sponsorship Letter
Updated results from the Stellafane Spectreohelioscope
[2026-March-20] Several years ago, the Springfield Telescope Makers (STM) at Stellafane acquired a Hale spectrohelioscope (SHS; originally owned by Gustavus W. Cook; donated to the University of Pennsylvania upon Cook’s passing; acquired by STM member Matt Considine who donated it to Stellafane). The purpose of a SHS is to allow the observer to safely view the Sun in any desired color of the visible spectrum, before modern solar filters were invented. Though the instrument can view the Sun in any color of the spectrum, it is most often used at the H-alpha wavelength (6,563 Angstroms; red) since that is the wavelength where much of the solar activity can most be easily viewed.
The STMs have spent the time since acquiring the SHS on refurbishing its intricate mechanisms, manufacturing replacements for some missing parts, building an observatory to house the apparatus, installing it and learning how its many, subtle adjustments can affect its operation. As of the beginning of 2025, the instrument was in good working order and has been used for many public viewing sessions, including the past few Stellafane Conventions.
While the instrument is, in general, working well, there are always improvements that need to be made. Over the past year, a few improvements to the instrument were made, which have been documented in a PDF (1.4MB) which can be viewed here. The document also goes into more detail at every step for those interested.
We hope that you will have an opportunity to view the Sun through the SHS at Stellafane during the Stellafane Convention on August 13 to 15, 2026. Clear skies. The STMs.
Jim Daley FeX Solar Corona Update
[2026-March-3] The following is a followup from the previous set of Corona images from Jim Daley:
The FeX iron line is one of many comprising the "E" (emission) solar corona. It appears in the far UV, at a wavelength of 174 Angstroms, and the visible as the coronal red line at 6,374 Angstroms,the spectral line used for the following images.
During a total solar eclipse, the structure (loops and streamers) ofthe coronal red line can be observed by employing a narrow band FeX filter and a small telescope. Without an eclipse, observing andimaging the FeX corona is only possible by employing a Lyot’ coronagraph. In 2024 I purchased an FeX transmission filter with a bandwidth of 3 Angstroms (FWHM) and installed it in my homemade coronagraph.
Traditionally, coronagraphs are used at high-altitude observatories, to greatly reduce atmospheric light scatter from aerosols, which dominate the lower layers of the atmosphere. By observing from my backyard observatory (altitude 1,300 feet), on the clearest mornings, the FeX coronal detail was, with some difficulty, imaged. Normally, coronal data must be collected in the morning, shortly after the Sun rises, so that the images can be obtained before solar heating has hadtime to heat the surroundings, causing turbulence which would greatly degrade the quality of the image. However, when imaging the FeX Corona, one must wait until the Sun rises higher above the horizon, to reduce the amount of atmosphere that the solar image must travel through, to minimize atmospheric particulate light scatter.
The following images represent a good sample of the best results. Judging from my exposure times, the FeX corona is roughly 200 times fainter than the H-alpha prominences. - Jim Daley
(c) 2024 by Jim Daley
(c) 2024 by Jim Daley
(c) 2024 by Jim Daley
(c) 2024 by Jim Daley
-- Update: The following is an extra image of a sunspot taken in 2017. Referenced Reflector article can be viewed here (PDF, 4MB).
Jim Daley Images H-alpha Solar Prominences
[2026-Feb-13] Recently, we showed you a good collection of Aurora that STM members have taken. This time we'd like to show you something a little closer to the sun. The following that you see below is but a small sample of H-alpha imaging of solar prominences by long-time STM Member Jim Daley. If you like what you see, visit the full collection, where more detail and a reflector article about it can be found . Incidently, this collection is part of a wider gallery of astrophotos taken by various members, which you may also enjoy.
STMs Capture Aurora Borealis
[2026-Jan-27] Last week, you might have heard the flurry of news about Auroras being seen all through the Northeastern U.S. These happen when there is heightened magnetic activity in the sun's atmosphere, resulting in colorful light shows. While you might on a very good night be able to see these with the naked eye, the reality is that the sensors we have on cameras, especially digital cameras and phone cameras, are able to capture much more than what the eye sees due to their increased sensitivities. Below are a selection of Aurora photos taken last week by several STM members, and a selection of photos taken in November.
January Imaging Update
[2026-Jan-22] This month we bring you two beautiful images imaged in October by the STMs. The first shows Saturn, imaged with the 13" Schupmann at f/22 using the Lucky Imaging Technique. Of note in this photo are the bands, storms and cloud features.
The second photo is a composite image of Saturn and its moons, Titan and Rhea. We hope you enjoy them both.
Wanted: Your Stellafane Memories!
[2025-Dec-12] Hello Convention Attendees! If you remember, 2023 was a banner year for us as the 100th Anniversary of our club, and in celebration and the lead up to the Convention, we ran a special series on the club's 12 Founders. The club's charter was officially signed on Dec 7th, 1923.
Next year, 2026, proposes to be another banner year for the club, marking the anniversary of the first Stellafane Convention. We plan to start a new feature in the New Year, but we need your help! The Convention really wouldn't be here without its people, its loyal attendees who come from all over, either to enter their telescopes or gaze at the entries or at the night sky. We need your memories! More specifically, we'd like you to tell us your most memorable stories, and we want to hear from young and old. What about Stellafane has impressed itself most on your mind? Please, do tell! We'd love to hear from you! So, here's what you need to do:
Send an email to webmaster@stellafane.org with the following info using the following format:
First Year at Stellafane:
How Many Years Attended:
Your Memory:
The intention is to publish one or two memories a month (depending on the amount) throughout the course of the coming year for a fun and instrospective series about Convention. We look forward to seeing your memories!
Award Winner Sue Snow Featured in Sky & Tel Article
[2025-Dec-4] Open up your February 2026 issue of Sky & Telescope Magazine to Page 74, and you might find a familiar face. A multiple award winner at this year's convention, Sue Snow is featured in February's Astronomer's Workbench column by Johnathan Kissner. The article goes in-depth into Susan Snow's design ethos, which she says she acquired from her Grandmother, that 'one can always make something out of nothing'. This is a policy that we the Springfield Telescope Makers can very much agree with.
It should be pointed out that her 6-Inch reflector is the proud result of monthly trips to the Stellafane Telescope Making Class, where she ground her 6-inch f/5 mirror until she earned a cheer of perfection. If you like what you see, and you are interested in joining our Telescope Making Class, we welcome anyone to join.
The February 2026 Issue of Sky & Telescope should be available now in newstands, or in your mailbox now if you have a subscription. This was certainly the case for this editor who had it in his mailbox this morning!
November 2025 Election Results
[2025-Nov-23] This weekend, at our Annual General Meeting, elections were had. We are extremely thankful to both Glenn Jackson (Treasurer) and Terri Simoni (Secretary) in their service with the club, who have stepped down from the board. Elected in their place, we welcome Carl Malikowski as Treasurer, and Roger Williams as Secretary. Welcome to the board! They will join the rest of the board who are returning, including STM President Cecilia Detrich and VP Mike Hayes, and Directors Ken Slater, Bruce Beford and Katie Shusdock.
Detrich
President
Hayes
Vice President
Williams
Secretary
Malikowski
Treasurer
Slater
Director
Beford
Director
Shusdock
Director
Al Nagler 1935 — 2025
[2025-Oct-31] News of Al Nagler's recent passing has sent shockwaves throughout the community. Well known for his iconic Televue eyepieces, he'd been a long-time Stellafane attendee having attended since the late 1950's, which was only the start of a long relationship with the telescope making club. He was also a Springfield Telescope Maker himself.
His passion for astronomy and optics would lead him to design the optics for the Lunar Lander Module Simulator used by every Apollo Astronaut to train for landing on the moon prior to their missions. It was in operation at Kennedy Space Center between 1968 and 1972. 50 years later, and yet more of his optics would be used by NASA, and this time they would be launched into space as part of NASA's P.U.N.C.H mission, its purpose to observe the sun's corona.
This year at Stellafane, STM President Cecilia Detrich was handing out special 50-Year pins. She had this to say about Al Nagler's passing:
"It was an honor for me to give Al Nagler his 50 Year Stellafane pins this summer at the 2025 Convention. Al has been a loyal and generous member of the Springfield Telescope Makers and convention attendee for over 50 years. He also holds the rare honor of having won first place in the Stellafane Telescope Competition in 1972 for his 12-Inch F/5.3 Newtonian. Al will be deeply missed by all Stellafaners. On behalf of all the members of the Springfield Telescope Makers, I want to thank Judi and the entire Nagler family for sharing Al with us all these years in Vermont." - Cecilia Detrich, President, Springfield Telescope Makers.
Last year, in 2024, in front of a large crowd he made a pledge to everyone, to change Saturdays to Saturnday, which you can read here. Al Nagler was also awarded this year's Astronomical League Award at this year's Convention.
"I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night", a quote from The Old Astronomer to his Pupil by Sarah Williams, perhaps describes him perfectly. He loved the stars, and the twinkle in his eyes reflected this.
Events Calendar (Scroll up for News)
| Day | Date | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2026- | |||
| Sat | Jan 17 | 1:00-5:00 | 5-Year Planning Meeting BRIC |
| Sat | Jan 17 | 6:00-9:00 | Dinner & Club Meeting BRIC |
| Sun | Jan 18 | 10:00-4:00 | TM Class BRIC |
| Sat | Feb 21 | 10:00-4:00 | TM Class BRIC CANCELED: April 4th is Makeup Date |
| Sat | Feb 21 | 6:00-9:00 | Dinner & Club Meeting BRIC |
| Sat | March 21 | 9:00-4:00 | New Moon Work Party |
| Sat | March 21 | 10:00-4:00 | TM Class BRIC |
| Sat | March 21 | 6:00-9:00 | Dinner & Club Meeting BRIC |
| Sat | April 4 | 10:00-4:00 | TM Class BRIC |
| Sat | April 4 | 9:00-4:00 | Full Moon Work Party |
| Sat Sun |
April 11 April 12 |
9:00-6:00 10:00-5:00 |
Stellafane at NEAF Suffern, NY |
| Sat | April 18 | 9:00-4:00 | New Moon Work Party |
| Sat | April 18 | 10:00-4:00 | TM Class BRIC |
| Sat | April 18 | 6:00-9:00 | Dinner & Club Meeting BRIC |
| Sat | May 2 | 9:00-4:00 | Full Moon Work Party |
| Sat | May 16 | 9:00-4:00 | New Moon Work Party |
| Sat | May 16 | 7:00-9:00 | Dinner & Club Meeting |
| Fri-Sat | May 22-23 | 8:00 | Up-All-Night Star Party: Spring Edition |
| Sat | May 30 | 9:00-4:00 | Full Moon Work Party |
| Sat | June 13 | 9:00-4:00 | New Moon Work Party |
| Sat | June 13 | 7:00-9:00 | Dinner & Club Meeting |
| Sat | June 27 | 9:00-4:00 | Full Moon Work Party |
| Sat | July 11 | 9:00-4:00 | New Moon Work Party |
| Sat | July 11 | 7:00-9:00 | Dinner & Club Meeting |
| Sat | July 25 | 9:00-4:00 | Full Moon Work Party |
| Thu-Sun | Aug 13-16 | Stellafane Convention | |
| Sat | Aug 29 | 9:00-4:00 | Full Moon Work Party |
| Sat | Sept 12 | 9:00-4:00 | New Moon Work Party |
| Sat | Sept 12 | 6:00-9:00 | Dinner & Club Meeting |
| Sat | Sept 19 | 7:30: Presentation, Viewing Comes After |
St-Gaudens Star Party St-Gaudens, NHP, Cornish, NH |
| Sat | Sept 26 | 9:00-4:00 | Full Moon Work Party |
| Sat | Oct 10 | 9:00-4:00 | New Moon Work Party |
| Sat | Oct 10 | 10:00-4:00 | TM Class BRIC |
| Sat | Oct 10 | 6:00-9:00 | Dinner & Club Meeting BRIC |
| Fri-Sat | Oct 16-17 | 7:00 | Up-All-Night Star Party: Fall Edition |
| Sat | Oct 24 | 9:00-4:00 | Full Moon Work Party |
| Sat | Nov 7 | 10:00-4:00 | TM Class BRIC |
| Sat | Nov 7 | 6:00-9:00 | Dinner & Club Meeting BRIC |
| Sat | Dec 5 | 6:00-9:00 | Dinner & Club Meeting BRIC |
| -2027- | |||
| Sat | Jan 16 | 1:00-5:00 | 5-Year Planning Meeting BRIC |
| Sat | Jan 16 | 6:00-9:00 | Dinner & Club Meeting BRIC |
| Sun | Jan 17 | 10:00-4:00 | TM Class BRIC |
| Sat | Feb 6 | 10:00-4:00 | TM Class BRIC |
| Sat | Feb 6 | 6:00-9:00 | Dinner & Club Meeting BRIC |
| Sat | March 6 | 10:00-4:00 | TM Class BRIC |
| Sat | March 6 | 6:00-9:00 | Dinner & Club Meeting BRIC |
| Sat | March 20 | 10:00-4:00 | Full Moon Work Party |
| Sat | April 3 | 10:00-4:00 | TM Class BRIC |
| Sat | April 3 | 10:00-4:00 | New Moon Work Party |
| Sat | April 3 | 6:00-9:00 | Dinner & Club Meeting BRIC |
| Sat | April 17 | 10:00-4:00 | Full Moon Work Party |
| Sat | May 8 | 6:00-9:00 | Dinner & Club Meeting |
| Sat | May 8 | 10:00-4:00 | New Moon Work Party |
| Sat | May 22 | 10:00-4:00 | Full Moon Work Party |
| Sat | June 5 | 6:00-9:00 | Dinner & Club Meeting |
| Sat | June 7 | 10:00-4:00 | New Moon Work Party |
| Sat | June 26 | 10:00-4:00 | Full Moon Work Party |
| Sat | July 12 | 6:00-9:00 | Dinner & Club Meeting |
| Sat | July 12 | 10:00-4:00 | New Moon Work Party |
| Sat | July 17 | 10:00-4:00 | Full Moon Work Party |
| Thu-Sun | Aug 5-8 | Stellafane Convention | |
| Sat | Aug 21 | 10:00-4:00 | Full Moon Work Party |
| Sat | Sept 11 | 10:00-4:00 | New Moon Work Party |
| Sat | Sept 11 | 6:00-9:00 | Dinner & Club Meeting BRIC |
| Sat | Sept 18 | 10:00-4:00 | Full Moon Work Party |
| Sat | Oct 2 | 10:00-4:00 | TM Class BRIC |
| Sat | Oct 2 | 10:00-4:00 | New Moon Work Party |
| Sat | Oct 2 | 6:00-9:00 | Dinner & Club Meeting BRIC |
| Sat | Oct 16 | 10:00-4:00 | Full Moon Work Party |
| Sat | Oct 30 | 10:00-4:00 | TM Class BRIC |
| Sat | Oct 30 | 6:00-9:00 | Dinner & Club Meeting BRIC |
| Sat | Nov 20 | 10:00-4:00 | TM Class BRIC |
| Sat | Nov 20 | 6:00-9:00 | Dinner & Club Meeting BRIC |
| Sat | Dec 11 | 10:00-4:00 | TM Class BRIC |
| Sat | Dec 11 | 6:00-9:00 | Dinner & Club Meeting BRIC |
| -2028- | |||
| Thu-Sun | Aug 17-20 | Stellafane Convention | |
| - Color Key - | |||
| Public Event | Everyone Welcome | ||
| Mirror Class | Registration Required | ||
| Club Activity | Feel Free to Stop By | ||
| BRIC | Held at the Black River Innovation Campus | ||
| Special Event | Check for Requirements | ||
| Members Only | Visitors Not Allowed | ||