2007 Stellafane Convention Main Page

The 72nd Convention of Amateur Telescope Makers on Breezy Hill in Springfield, Vermont, the 2007 Stellafane Convention, was held Thursday through Saturday August 9-11, 2007. Here you will find reports, photos and movies of the 2007 Convention.

Thanks to All!

The Springfield Telescope Makers would like to thank all those who attended the 2007 Stellafane Convention and made it a success. The Convention is all about sharing ideas and knowledge, renew and making new acquaintances, and enjoying shared observing sessions. You make the Convention what it is, and we thank you for participating!

Convention Summary

Breezy Hill on Saturday, August 11

This convention was notable for two things: It was the first three night convention, as we offered early entry on Thursday afternoon for the first time (this was an instant hit); and we had two successive nights of good observing on both Friday and Saturday, something we were not lucky enough to have for the past few years.

We also introduced two new program themes, one targeted at beginners and another for advanced amateurs (see the program section for details).

Improvements to the site and facilities included a much larger projection screen in the pavilion, a new split rail fence on the hill above the pavilion, and the Dino Argentini 10" Ritchey-Chrétien Telescope was restored and operational in the new domed observatory. The club also introduced ice cream sales at the back of the pavilion which proved popular.

This was an excellent convention - people were excited about the longer convention and the good weather we were blessed with, and everyone seemed to have a very good time.

Program

This page contains an Overall Schedule of Events, and detailed information about the events and activities at the 2007 Convention:

Also see a summary of the many Talks given at convention, including and explanation of each type of talk, and categorized by level (kids, beginner, intermediate and advanced). Note that there are many talks for beginners, all clearly marked in this list.

A Big Thank You to our Raffle Donors!

The Springfield Telescope Makers would like to thank the following people and/or companies for donating prizes to the raffle at the 2007 Stellafane convention. In no particular order, we thank:

The money raised from the raffle goes to support next year's convention and to make capital improvements to the convention site. We appreciate the generous donations of the above people and companies, and the attendees support by purchasing raffle tickets. Thank you all very much!

Photo Gallery

Here is the 2007 Convention Photo gallery, with candid images taken by the Springfield Telescope Makers and many attendees who send us photos they have taken (See the pink box at right if you have photos to send us for posting on our web page).

Videos

All of the Technical Talks and the Shadowgram and Keynote segments of the Saturday Evening program are available as downloadable video clips from this area.

Reports

Convention reports from our attendees are posted here, giving you another view of the events and observations that various attendees had. If you have report, please send it to us (see box at upper right).

Telescope Competition

Often considered the heart of the Stellafane Convention, the Optical & Mechanical Competition gives Amateur Telescope Makers a chance to show and share with others what they have done, and our expert judges pick the best in several categories to for recognition with awards. This page shows all the telescopes entered in the competition, and the awards that many have won.

At right, Samantha shows off her first place junior optical and mechanical awards and her excellent small telescope.

Convention Workers

It takes a lot of work to put on the convention, and we would like to thank all the volunteers and members who work so hard before, during and after convention to make it a success. Here's a photo gallery of many of the people who made it happen this year (and the majority who have made it happen for many years). Thank you all very much!

General Information

Our general information page has exactly that - general information about the convention. Read about our Lighting Policy or the use of Family Service Radios, for example. Lots of important little items that might make your convention experience that much better: what to bring - where the food services are located. You will also find copies of our printed Convention Bulletins here.

Do you have convention questions we haven't answered? Comments or suggestions about the Bulletin or Registration Supplement?  Please direct these to our Convention Mailbox.

Do you have a comment, question or suggestion about the web pages or online registration process? Please direct these to the Stellafane Webmaster.