Bert Willard,
Museum Curator Hartness House 30 Orchard Street Springfield, VT 05156
Missing Russell Porter Watercolor
[1999-Nov-1]
Do you recognize this watercolor painting by Russell Porter of his invention, The Garden Telescope? Some time
after 1970 the painting was taken from Stellafane and has not been seen since. This was before the museum at
the Hartness House was opened in 1975, the date when we finally had a safe place to store and display our treasures.
It is the only Porter watercolor of the Garden Telescope known to exist. By now it may have passed on to someone
not aware of its origins. If you have seen this painting perhaps an explanation to the owner that the Springfield
Telescope Makers would greatly appreciate having it returned would be just the stimulus needed. That way it can
be displayed in the ATM museum for all convention goers to enjoy.
Public Star Party at Stellafane a Success!!
[1999-Oct-3]
The Public Up All Night Star Party at Stellafane on Oct 1st and 2nd was a rousing success. Approximately 50
local people came on the Friday night alone, which had better skies than Saturday night. Most were families who
saw the ad in the newspaper. On Saturday there was a small contingent from the Riverside group in California
who happened to be traveling in the area and found out about the public night from me on the e-mail. Everybody
had a great time and there even was enough of Cheryl's beef stew to go around.
Carl Breuning operated the Porter Turret both nights. Many of the local visitors had some knowledge of the
night sky. Carl explained various objects before showing them in the eyepiece. He showed many Messier objects
plus Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus. Over at the McGregor, John Martin acquired some stunning views of Jupiter
with the Schupmann and his video CCD camera as the crowd watched. Saturday night clouded out at about 10pm after
testing the patience of Schupmann operator Jeff Lowe. Jupiter and Saturn were alternatively winking in and out
at such an increasing frequency that he finally had to call it quits, fast-slewing the telescope between the
two planets. I guess you had to be there.
Maryann Arrien
Prison Re-Vote is in
[1999-Sep-15]
The revote results are in. The prison vote has passed by a wider margin than before: 2345 For and 1535 Against.
Springfield has chosen the State's offer to build a prison. We must respect the democratic will of the majority.
From here on we will work to obtain the best possible mitigation of the light pollution that will result from
the prison. We are thankful to all those who have contributed to the Stellafane legal defense fund. It will be
of enormous help in getting expert technical and legal advice. Thank you for your continued support. And special
thanks to the editors and staff of Sky and Telescope for sticking by Stellafane in our toughest moments, and for
helping to promote the fund.
We are also very grateful to those who signed the petition. The signatures have spanned 6 continents. There
is no question that the information and comments that appeared in the petition have in many ways affected the perception
of the light pollution problem. We are hopeful that all this will certainly lead to a better result for Stellafane
than would have otherwise been realized. As is the case with good lighting, lower electric costs, improved aesthetics
and better visibility are all welcome by-products, in addition to darker skies for astronomers.
The International Dark Sky Association is helping
us to bring good ideas in lighting to the Springfield Prison project. The IDA is a wonderful organization that
deserves all of our support. I encourage all groups and/or individuals to consider IDA membership for the sake
of dark skies everywhere.
We will continue to post information updates on the Stellafane Web Page as they become available. Once again,
our heartfelt thanks to our many friends who have showed concern for our problem. Thank you for helping us.
Sincerely, Maryann Arrien
President: Springfield Telescope Makers, Inc.
Wayne "Waynbo" Zuhl
Secretary: Springfield Telescope Makers
eFax: 520-244-5338
The Date of the 2000 Stellafane Convention is July 28th & 29th
[1999-Aug-1] The 2000 Stellafane convention is scheduled for July 28th and
29th. If you registered for the 1999 convention you'll automatically be put on the 2000 mailing list. If you
did not register for the 1999 convention and would like to pre-register for the 2000 convention you'll have
to get yourself on our mailing list.
State Prision Update Number Four
[1999-Jul-27]Revote on Prison Scheduled
On Monday July 26th, 1999 residents of the Town of Springfield, Vermont presented a revote petition consisting
of over 500 signatures. A revote on this issue has been scheduled for September 14, 1999.
The petition to Governor Dean is still open for signatures and comments here on the Stellafane Home Page.
That is the best place to express your opinion on the subject. The ultimate decision is in the hands of the Townspeople
of Springfield so let's just enjoy ourselves and hope for the best. Many thanks to those who have already
signed the petition and for the many wonderful comments that were attached.
In the meantime, I encourage you all to join the
International Dark Sky Association as
individuals in your own home town. It is always best to work towards preserving dark skies before it becomes
such a complex issue.
As always we hope that the conventioneers will make a favorable impression on the townspeople with their continued
patronage of the businesses in Springfield. See you all at Convention!
Best regards, Maryann Arrien
President, Springfield Telescope Makers
State Prison Update Number Three
[1999-Jul-9]Revote on Prison Scheduled
The vote is in. The town of Springfield has voted to accept the prison. However, due to the closeness
of the vote (1633 in favor vs. 1564 against) a revote may be scheduled during the upcoming months. Therefore,
the petition regarding the prison will be kept active. If you have not already signed the petition please
check it out and consider doing so. The The Springfield Telescope Makers thank all those who have given
their support thus far. Keep tabs on the situation right here.
We may have lost this battle, but the war is not over. We are working on a strategy to keep up the fight.
We are keeping the petition going as a means to strengthen our arguments. There will be more to follow.
Wayne "Waynbo" Zuhl
Secretary, Springfield Telescope Makers
eFax: 520-244-5338
State Prison Update Number Two
[1999-Jun-8]
The final vote is in. The Town of Springfield has voted to accept the State contract to build the largest
State Prison in Vermont in the neighborhood of 4 miles from Stellafane Observatory, a National Historic Landmark.
The final Town vote was:
1633 FOR
1564 AGAINST
There has been no response from Vermont Governor Howard Dean to my two faxes last week containing petition
comments or the FedEx package I sent yesterday containing a compilation of the first 1000 replies to the Petition.
Contained in these mail and fax communications was information from many scientists warning that this proximity
to Stellafane was too close to attain sufficient abatement of the light pollution that will result.
Perhaps this was not sufficiently convincing. If you have any further information or data on this subject,
please advise me here on the web page. We could use the information. For complex information please remember
to send a way to contact you by phone as well.
It is a sad day for astronomers all over the world. I feel that this is a national tragedy.
We may have lost this battle, but the war is not over. We are working on a strategy to keep up the fight.
We are keeping the petition going as a means to strengthen our arguments. There will be more to follow.
Wayne "Waynbo" Zuhl
Secretary, Springfield Telescope Makers efax: 520-244-5338
State Prison Update Number One
[1999-Jun-23]
Tuesday [6/22/99] night at the Town meeting in Springfield, Vermont several members of the Springfield Telescope
Makers spoke on behalf of the endangered Stellafane Observatory, site of the world famous Porter Turret Observatory
and the Stellafane Conventions which have been held over the last 75 years.
The townspeople listened with interest and sympathy to the concerns of the Stellafane organizers, who maintain
that the proposed prison would still do severe harm to the night sky at a distance of just several miles. Holding
streams of e-mail sent by the astronomical community around the world, I read various excerpts from the writings
of Stellafane attendees who have patronized the surrounding businesses in Springfield and the rest of Vermont.
The distant origins of some of the e-mail gave particular credence to our case, as well as their notability as
scientific institutions. In particular, horror stories of other observatories being impaired by distances of
20 or 30 miles pointed up the problem at hand of a prison in the neighborhood of 4 miles from Breezy Hill.
The State Engineer, Jim Richardson, was aghast at the e-mail he received and admitted that he didn't know
what Stellafane was, so he looked it up. He seemed to be quite relieved that it was actually 4 miles instead
of 3. He also seemed to think that since Breezy Hill was higher in elevation, that simple geometrical difference
would make it all no problem.
We maintain that this makes not enough difference at all. It is TOO CLOSE. I was particularly amazed at how
little is understood about the character of diffuse light in the moisture rich air of Vermont. There are still
no plans of the facility or how the lights would be arranged. The Town is expected to vote on the prison with
that little information.
The following day [June 23] two local papers, the Rutland Herald and The Eagle Times, carried front page stories
about our members perspectives of how the prison would harm the Stellafane Convention, and the resultant loss
to the tourist economy by the decreased attendance. It is universally agreed that the dark skies of Stellafane
have and are essential to the operation of the convention, which has been the proving ground for astronomical
instrumentation and amateur astronomy techniques since it was started in 1926. Estimates of the tourist impact
of the Stellafane conventioneers and their familes were received with very little surprise. The townspeople seemed
well aware of how hard it is to get a hotel within 30 miles of Stellafane when it is near the time of the convention.
The e-mail PETITION and letter writing campaigns at www.stellafane.com have brought the concerns of Stellafane
to the forefront with the most incredible speed and intensity imaginable. My perception is that the Town has
thankfully become aware of the seriousness of our problem. As they weigh the negative effect to us along with
their many other varied issues and concerns, it is hoped that the Town of Springfield will choose its heritage
and future to be preserved by protecting Stellafane from the unwitting damage that will be caused by those Vermont
State agencies that never noticed they had a revered National Historic Landmark and Observatory right there in
Vermont where they want to build this prison.
Additional press coverage is expected in Friday's Springfield Reporter, Sunday's Eagle Times and also National
news coverage in the New York Times in both the Saturday and Monday editions. NBC affiliate WNNE Channel 31 in
White River Junction, VT did a video news spot on Stellafane's problem that was aired on local news at 6 and
11pm on June 22nd. The associated press and several radio stations throughout the region are giving air time
to the story as well.
The petition to Governor Howard Dean of Vermont has been and is still the key feature of this awareness raising
exercise. The participation of hundreds of people in the astronomical community in both writing and disseminating
the news story has given us a dearly held hope that the people of Town of Springfield will decide to make the
prison go away with the power of their vote on Tuesday, June 29th.
We, like the stars, await the verdict.
By Maryann Arrien
President: Springfield Telescope Makers
State Prison Threatens Historic "House of the Stars"
[1999-Jun]
Back in 1924 I'm sure that Russell W. Porter never figured that the shrine (Latin - Stellar "fane") to the
Stars that he was building might ever have a huge State Prison built just 3 miles away. It has 3 telescopes built
into the house. In 1930 the world famous Porter Turret Telescope was added to the observatory.
The present day members certainly didn't figure on a prison either when they undertook 7 years work to build
the world largest operating Schupmann Telescope and housed it in the newly dedicated McGregor Observatory at
Stellafane. We still carry on Russell Porter's tradition with free telescope making courses at the Community
Center in Springfield.
But let's talk about the big Convention. For the last 75 years, people from all over the world have been making
the pilgrimage to Stellafane. Last year attendance was over 2000 people. Many of them brought additional family
members who did not attend the convention, but certainly patronized countless businesses in the area. They came
from England. Australia. Europe. Japan. Canada. South America. From all over the United States. The economic
impact from all these visitors should not be underestimated.
Why do they come?
The sky is still dark and magnificent. The history of the place is very significant. It is the oldest and
largest gathering of amateur telescope makers and amateur astronomers in North America. In 1989 it was granted
National Historic Landmark status by the US Department of the Interior. There are only two other places in Vermont
that are of sufficient historic national importance that they have been raised to the level of Historic "Landmark."
According to David Levy, co-discoverer of the Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 which crashed into Jupiter:
"There are over 100 major Star Parties around the world, but there is only one Stellafane."
I have no idea why some other kind of industry can't be enticed to come to Springfield that would be 'nicer'
and less light polluting. If anything like a Prison is built at a distance like that from Stellafane, the reflected
light alone off the surfaces will be enough to severely harm the night sky. If that happens I, and others all
over the world, will mourn that the "Mecca" of the amateur telescope makers and astronomers will be diminished
forever.
I hope that when the residents of Springfield make their decision on June 29th, they will remember these pictures
of the "House of the Stars" and the beautiful priceless History of Springfield that is enshrined and revered
at Stellafane. Stellafane Observatory has been here for 75 years and there's one important thing to remember
- it's not portable.
By Maryann Arrien
President: Springfield Telescope Makers
Report on the Spring 1999 Mirror Making Class - Part 2
[1999-Apr]
The second installment of the 1999 Mirror course took place this past Saturday at the Springfield Community
Center. The attendance was even higher than the first class with nearly 25 in attendance. Again, there were mirrors
being worked on in all stages from rough grinding, with #46 grit, to figuring.
Attendees were treated to a discussion about Pitch Laps and got a hands on demonstration from Phil
Rounseville
on making a pitch lap. Of historic note: a plaster tool was cast for the 16" mirror, that will eventually be
used for a scope for public star parties.
Click on the image to see a larger version.
Scott Milligan
lecturing on the
shadowgram
test
(19k File)
Dave Kelly
channeling a
pitch-lap
(21k File)
The class in
the Springfield
Community Ctr
(45k File)
Members of the
class working on their mirrors
(45k File)
Part III of the mirror course will be held at the Community Center, beginning at 10:00am on Saturday, May
22. Hope to see you all there!
By Wayne Zuhl
Report on the Spring 1999 Mirror Making Class - Part 1
[1999-Mar]
Hello all! Well, I've just returned home from the first class of the STM's 1999 Mirror Course. What a wonderful
success the first installment was! There were 19 people in attendance, with mirrors ranging in size from 6" to
12.5", as well as people rough grinding with #46 grit to people who were polishing! People came from both near
and far. Some having found out about the course via word of mouth while others heard about the course via the
local radio newspaper. The important thing was EVERYONE there learned about Mirror Making. There were a total
of 12 mirrors being made and all seemed to really enjoy themselves.
Click on the image to see a larger version.
Member of the
class beveling
his mirror
(26k File)
Al Monkowski
(left) describing
the grinding
process
(42k File)
Members of the
class grinding
their mirrors
(24k File)
Members of the
class preparing
to grind
(24k File)
Organizers Maryann Arrien and Junie Esslinger pulled off a really terrific start to this years course. Other
members pitching in to help were: Brad Vietje, Ken Slater and Dave Prowten. Kudos to all those involved. If you
missed the first class you can still come to future installments.
The next class will be April 17, 10am at the Springfield Community Center.
