2021 Stellafane Convention
The 85th Convention of Amateur Telescope Makers on Breezy Hill in Springfield, Vermont,
the 2021 Stellafane Convention
was held on Thursday-Sunday, August 5th through 8th.
Covid-19 Information
As of June 14th, Vermont is the first state in the nation to reach a vaccination rate of 80% of its eligible citizens. As previously planned, the state has lifted all pandemic related restrictions and orders and Vermont is 'Fully Open'.
Stellafane will follow CDC and Vermont guidance. If you are fully vaccinated, you do not need to wear a mask or socially distance, but you are welcome to do either if that is more comfortable for you. If you are not vaccinated, you must wear a mask and practice social distancing.
If CDC or Vermont guidance changes before or during convention, we will change our rules to follow it, and you must follow those rules or you will have to leave convention.
In the week before convention, with Delta variant starting to spread in Vermont, we decided to request masks in all indoor locations. Seating in the pavilion and ATM demo was spaced apart as an additional precaution.
Thank You for attending convention!
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 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 2021 Stellafane Convention and made it a successful restart of convention after a pause from Covid-19 in 2020.
We especially want to thank all the volunteers and club members who help with setup, program, 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 large number of interesting and innovative scopes this year in all categories.
Convention Summary
With a very wet and rainy July, and 6" of rain locally the week before convention, our site had many wet and muddy patches and standing water in some locations. This reduced our available camping space and we had to ask campers to 'camp compactly' to fit everyone in. Fortunately, no significant rain occurred during the convention itself, and we had some of the warmest, driest days in month during convention.
The optical competition was completed on Friday, which was our best observing night. Thursday evening was not as good, and Saturday night observing was not possible.
Covid adaptations included widely spaced seating in the pavilion, and masks were required in all buildings and observatories - we thank our attendees for cooperating with these precautions.
The Saturday evening program outdoors in the amphitheater, with keynote speaker Stella Kafka delivering an excellent talk on the recent, historic diming of Betelgeuse.
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.
Donors
The Springfield Telescope Makers would like to thank the following people and/or companies for donating prizes to the raffle at the 2021 Stellafane convention. We thank:
Special thanks to Tele Vue and
Al & David Nagler for donating |
|
| Sky & Telescope | Chroma Technology |
| Peter Bealo | Phil Harrington |
| Joe Rao | Robert Boedker |
| Kim & Dennis Cassia | Astronomy Shoppe
Tony Costanzo - Plaistow, NH |
| Kris Larsen | Gary Cislak |
| Glenn Jackson | Jeff Lowe |
| Wilder Family | Cherie Wilder |
| Emery Family and The Vermont Teddy Bear Company | |
Call for 2021 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
A collection of photos from the 2021 Convention, some from the club and many more from conventioneers.
Presentations
Some speakers make their presentations available - and we will post any we get here.
Telescope Competition
Details and photos of all the telescopes and other items entered and all the winners are here.
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.
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.
Convention Policies
Note that we may add a Covid-19 policy at some future date if government regulations or guidance are changed and/or the club needs to require some behavior for the safety of all. The State of Vermont and Stellafane strongly encourage Mask Wearing and Social Distancing if you are not fully vaccinated.
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 2020 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
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner was available Friday and Saturday, and breakfast on Sunday. Special pre-ordered dinners such as the lobster and chicken dinners offered in prior years were not offered this year; Our new 'cook shack' was used and worked well.