2010 Stellafane Convention
The 75th Convention of Amateur Telescope Makers on Breezy Hill in Springfield, Vermont, the 2010 Stellafane Convention, was held Thursday through Sunday August 5-8, 2010. This page provides access to convention information, photos, reports and the results of the telescope competition.
Suggestions
Do you have a suggestion to improve any aspect of convention? We would like to hear about it! Please send them via email here.
We are very 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 2010 Stellafane Convention and made it a success. The Convention is all about sharing ideas and knowledge, renewing and making new acquaintances, and enjoying shared observing sessions. You make the Convention what it is, and we thank you for participating! We would also like to say Thank You for the many generous contributions we received in support of paying off the Flanders Pavilion mortgage.
Convention Summary
Milky Way Trails by Andrew Dalton
Thursday about noon a front came through and we had a blowing, intense downpour. And that was it for the rain - three wonderful nights for observing followed, accompanied by partly cloudy, dry days with moderate summer temperatures - perfect convention weather! The optical competition had a strong field with many excellent telescopes, one of the best fields in years. The mechanical competition also had a nice variety of beautifully crafted scopes and accessories. Thursdays; Hartness House Workshop on Lunar Morphology went very well with a excellent set of speakers, and the general convention activities seemed to please our attendees. We are pleased to report the 75th Stellafane Convention was an all around success.
Program
The overall convention schedule at a glance and details for most events are listed here. Our keynote speaker this year is Dr. Constance "Connie" Rockosi, UC Santa Cruz - UCO/Lick Observatory, who will discuss her work on building the Sloan Digital Sky Survey telescope and CCD camera.
The printable Convention Bulletin (PDF Format) is a 5 page summary of these more detailed web pages, and includes schedule, policy and general information.
Raffle Donors
The Springfield Telescope Makers would like to thank the following people and/or companies for donating prizes to the raffle at the 2010 Stellafane convention. In no particular order, we thank:
| Tele Vue Optics Al & David Nagler |
Willmann-Bell Perry & Patricia Remaklus |
Astronomy Shoppe Tony Costanzo |
| Howie's Laser Collimators Howie Glatter |
Sky &
Telescope Magazine & Astronomical Products |
Farpoint Astronomical Products |
| Royal Astronomical
Society of Canada Observer's Handbook |
ScopeArmor Telescope Protection |
Optic Wave
Laboratories Reflecting Optics & Coatings |
|
Crelin Creatives Bob Crelin |
Marty & Jim Erickson Stained Glass |
Jeff Lowe Children's Books |
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!
Call for Convention
Photos & Reports
We would like to add your photos or convention report to our web pages. Your experiences gives a much more comprehensive view of the convention then we can do ourselves. Please send them via email here.
Photo Gallery
The 2010 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).
Page 1: Photos by the Springfield Telescope Makers
Page 2: Photos by Convention Attendees
Videos
We have videos of three Technical Talks, the Shadowgram and the Keynote Speech.
Reports
Reports about the convention from attendees.
Robert Pfaff of Torrance, CA1st Place Compound Optical
2nd Place Mechanical
3rd Place Craftsmanship
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.
General Information
This page contains much information about the convention, lighting policies, pet policies, food service, on-site bus service and where to set up your telescope. Check this page for answers to any questions you may have.
Directions & MapsNeed 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. |
Lodging & CampgroundsIf 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. |
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.