You will receive a printed Convention Bulletin with the schedule in it when you check in at the gate.
Download the 2022 Convention Bulletin (PDF File).
Fri 7:30 pm - | Flanders Pavilion | Bruce Beford, MC | Short presentations by Convention Attendees |
If you wish to contribute a short talk during this session, please register online. Talks are limited to 10 minutes and 20 slides. The time limit will be strictly enforced! A digital projector will be available for your use - please bring your presentation on a USB stick.
Sat 7:00 am - 12:00 pm | Swap Table Area - North of Main Camping Area |
The Swap Tables (located at the northeast edge of the main camping/parking area) are provided to give amateurs an opportunity to trade, buy or sell their surplus astronomical and telescope related items. The Swap Table area will be open from 7:00 a.m. to noon on Saturday.
POLICY OF THE SPRINGFIELD TELESCOPE MAKERS REGARDING COMMERCIALISM
AND THE SWAP TABLES AT THE CONVENTION
The Springfield Telescope Makers, Inc. has clarified its policy regarding commercialism and Swap Table sales at the Stellafane Convention. For the sake of historical continuity, to preserve the uniqueness of the Stellafane Convention and to encourage Conventioneers to build their own instruments, the Springfield Telescope Makers, Inc. do not allow commercial sales, of any kind, at the Stellafane Convention. All swap table sales must comply, in concept, with the above objective but are also specifically subject to the following criteria:
The Springfield Telescope Makers, Inc. may choose to grant a limited exception to the above policies to astronomy related organizations for their fundraising. Any request for an exemption must be made, in writing, at least one month prior to the Convention. If granted, the President of the Springfield Telescope Makers, Inc. will notify the requesting organization in writing.
Any member of the Springfield Telescope Makers, Inc. has the authority to determine whether a party is in compliance with the established regulations. Any person who is found to be in violation of the stated policies will be required to comply. Failing compliance, the offending party will be asked to leave the Convention and may be escorted from the premises by Convention security.
The Springfield Telescope Makers, Inc. encourages those with questions regarding this policy to contact the Club via the Stellafane web page (http://Stellafane.org). During the Convention, any questions regarding this policy, the appropriateness of items being displayed, or any information being disseminated, should be directed to a member of the Springfield Telescope Makers, Inc.
Sat 7:00 pm - | Amphitheater (Flanders Pavilion if rain) | Includes Keynote, Shadowgram, Raffle & Awards |
The evening program will begin at 7:00 p.m. Saturday in the hillside amphitheater. (In case of inclement weather, the program will be held inside the Flanders Pavilion). Mario Motta, of the Springfield Telescope Makers, will be master of ceremonies.
Fri 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm | Clubhouse | Optical and Mechanical Registration | |
Fri 10:00 pm - | Fields around Clubhouse | Optical Competition Begins | |
Sat 8:00 am - 9:30 am | Clubhouse | Mechanical (and Optical if needed) Registration | |
Sat 10:00 am - 1:00 pm | Fields around Clubhouse | Mechanical Competition | |
Sat 10:00 pm - | Fields around Clubhouse | Optical Competition (Only if not held Friday) |
Details are on the Telescope Competition Page
Fri 10:00 am - 4:00 pm | Tent by T-Shirt Sales | Org. by M. Hayes & R. Predmore | ATM Demo Hours |
Fri 10:00 am - 10:30 am | Tent by T-Shirt Sales | Presented by Read Predmore | Intro & Rough Grinding |
Fri 10:30 am - 11:00 am | Tent by T-Shirt Sales | Presented by Rick Hunter | Fine Grinding |
Fri 11:00 am - 11:30 am | Tent by T-Shirt Sales | Presented by TBD | Making Dental Stone Tools |
Fri 11:30 am - 12:00 pm | Tent by T-Shirt Sales | Presented by Phil Rounseville | Making Pitch Laps |
Fri 1:00 pm - 1:45 pm | Tent by T-Shirt Sales | Presented by Dick Parker | Polishing & Figuring |
Fri 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm | Tent by T-Shirt Sales | With Dave Kelly & Doug Arion | Testing (Bring your own mirror) |
Sat 10:00 am - 5:00 pm | Tent by T-Shirt Sales | Org. by M. Hayes & R. Predmore | ATM Demo Hours |
Sat 10:00 am - 10:30 am | Tent by T-Shirt Sales | Presented by Read Predmore | Intro & Rough Grinding |
Sat 10:30 am - 11:00 am | Tent by T-Shirt Sales | Presented by Mike Hayes | Fine Grinding |
Sat 11:00 am - 11:30 am | Tent by T-Shirt Sales | Presented by TBD | Making Dental Stone Tools |
Sat 11:30 am - 12:00 pm | Tent by T-Shirt Sales | Presented by Phil Rounseville | Making Pitch Laps |
Sat 1:00 pm - 1:45 pm | Tent by T-Shirt Sales | Presented by Dick Parker | Polishing & Figuring |
Sat 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm | Tent by T-Shirt Sales | Presented by Glenn Jackson | Dobsonian Basics |
This is a HANDS-ON mirror making demonstration - Gain first-hand experience working on mirrors at every stage of grinding, polishing and testing. Experienced ATMs will help explain each step of the process and answer any questions you may have.
Bring your own mirror for testing between 2:00 and 4:00 PM on Friday - 12½-inch Max Diameter.
The 24" mirror we have been working on for several years will be available for grinding - please sign the log book when you work on it.
The ATM demo schedule is being finalized and details will be added shortly.
Fri 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm | Flanders Pavilion | Presented by Dean Regas |
After 20 years of public speaking at the Cincinnati Observatory, Dean Regas has heard every astronomy conspiracy theory and doomsday prediction in the universe – and frankly, he’s worried. He’s worried that we are slipping into an age of growing superstition. In this rational, often humorous lecture, Dean tackles such controversial topics as: The Mayan Calendar, Moon landing, UFO sightings, Doomsday Comets, Astrology, and the Star of Bethlehem. The truth is out there and Dean shows why it is important to confront superstitions head-on and how you can champion a new age of reason.
Sat 10:00 am - 11:00 am | Flanders Pavilion | Presented by Kim & Dennis Cassia |
Are you familiar with these terms: “The Pink”, “Tent Talks” or “The Turret”? If not, if this is your first time attending the Stellafane Convention, or if you are returning and want to learn more about who the Springfield Telescope Makers are, as well as what is going on during the Convention, then this presentation is for you. Topics include, but are not limited to: A short history of Stellafane, a description of our site, including the buildings and landmarks, descriptions of the scheduled talks and activities, services available at Stellafane, local services off site, etc., in addition to answering any questions you may have about the Convention.
Fri 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm | Meet at M44 (Green Shed) behind Clubhouse | Roger Williams | |
Sat 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm | Meet at M44 (Green Shed) behind Clubhouse | Roger Williams |
To illustrate the vast size of outer space, the Springfield Telescope Makers have constructed a scale model of the solar system, based on the Sun being 12 inches in diameter. At that scale, the Earth would be approximately 1/10 of an inch in diameter and 107 feet from the Sun. Jupiter would be 1.2 inches in diameter and approximately 560 feet from the Sun.
The “Solar System Walk” begins behind the Pink Clubhouse and proceeds down the road going towards the Stellafane camping area. At the appropriate distance from the scale model of the Sun, there are stations with the appropriate planet, built to scale, and a short description of each planet. The Solar System walk can be taken on your own at any time during the Convention. However, a guided walk is available at the times mentioned above, when a docent will provide additional information about the “Solar System Walk” and each particular planet. The walk takes approximately ¾ of an hour, if you walk all the way to the planet Neptune, with a total distance of 3,232 feet or a little over ½ of a mile.
Sat 11:30 am - 12:30 pm | Meet at Front of Clubhouse | Led by David McGaw |
During the “Telescope Field Walk” an experienced Amateur Telescope Maker will guide small groups through the fields around the Pink Clubhouse, where the telescopes that will be participating in the mechanical competition will be set up. They will describe the various types of optical designs and mounting configurations that will be on display, point out the subtle details that go into award winning telescopes and be available to answer your questions.
Fri 11:00 am - 12:00 pm | Flanders Pavilion | Presented by Doug Arion |
Additive machining - 3D printing - represents a revolution in telescope making. Its importance ranges from the ability to make custom-fit parts to the huge cost reduction in making components that will help people afford telescopes. From mirror mounts to secondary holders, focusers, finder brackets, and electronics boxes, there is little in the structure of a telescope where 3D printing can't apply.
Fri 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm | Flanders Pavilion | Kevin McCarthy |
In this presentation, a new approach to the venerable tradition of fixed eyepiece viewing will be described. Ease of use, no setup, and observer comfort have always been important, no less so as we age. In the "Quad-Plex, Tropical Polar Single-Mirror Siderostat-Heliostat-Spectroscope", aka, "Armchair Astronomy", any of four optical instruments index into the beam path of a 9-inch minor axis optical flat, which is mounted on a ten foot high truss tower to the south of one of our villas on the Caribbean island of St. John, USVI. The instruments are all comfortably arranged for viewing at a leather armchair in the loft of the great room, with Baader TurboFilm preventing convection through the loft shutter's aperture. During the day, solar observation and imaging is performed in white light, Hydrogen Alpha, and Calcium K, while at night, a TMB 130 mm f/6 triplet APO and Intes Micro 7-inch f/15 Maksutov-Cassegrain provide wide field and high magnification viewing and imaging, respectively. This talk will also briefly touch upon some other projects here: maximizing ease of use for a commercial 24-inch Dob on a two-axis equatorial platform, building an automated "roll-under" imaging observatory, and an elegant equatorial sundial inspired by a Stellafane visit long ago.
Fri 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm | Flanders Pavilion | Presented by Richard Sanderson |
Richard Sanderson will discuss Operation Moonwatch, a worldwide citizen-science program that was active during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Teams comprised mostly of amateur astronomers and ordinary people made critically important observations of Sputnik and other early satellites. Richard will illustrate his presentation with photos of historical items from his Operation Moonwatch collection.
Fri 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm | Flanders Pavilion | Presented by Phil Harrington |
This is not your grandparents’ hobby! This presentation takes a poignant, sometimes comical, look back at how far our hobby and our equipment advanced in the 20th century. We will also look at how the rise of amateur telescope making influenced the commercial telescope marketplace forever.
Sat 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm | Flanders Pavilion | Presented by Peter Bealo |
Most of AAVSO deals with observation and analysis of variable stars. The AAVSO I&E section works with people designing and manufacturing equipment to make observations easier, more reliable, more automated or that allow for observations previously difficult to achieve. We will discuss ongoing I&E projects, the I&E Forum and how I&E members can help you develop your new idea. AAVSONet is a worldwide network of automated telescopes that AAVSO members have access to for the purposes of collecting photometric observations of variable stars and exoplanets. We’ll discuss the network, some current work being produced and how to propose new observing projects.
Sat 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm | Flanders Pavilion | Presented by Mario Motta |
Sat 11:00 am - 12:00 pm | Flanders Pavilion | Present by Clifton Ashcraft |
I obtained both slitless spectra and magnitude estimates during the August 8, 2021 outburst of recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi. My observations covered the period from August 13, 4 days after discovery, to October 31 when it had subsided close to pre-outburst magnitude. Magnitude estimates were made by comparison to known brightness field stars in wide field images taken with an ASI174MC camera at the focus of a 55 mm camera lens. Spectra were obtained using an ASI178MM CMOS video camera with the sensor located 74 mm behind a 100 line/mm transmission grating and at the f/11 focus of a 14” Celestron SCT. Initial spectra were dominated by Hydrogen emission lines, with Helium, Oxygen and Iron emission lines becoming more prominent as the nova decreased in brightness. These changes in both spectra and magnitudes were very similar to those of the previous outburst in 2006.
Sat 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm | Flanders Pavilion | Present by Alexander Varakin |
You will learn how to build a CNC router with 28"x34"x5" work envelope for less than $1000 and use it for various telescope making projects. The projects presented will be a 15-inch hexapod Dobsonian and rough grinding of a telescope mirror.
Sat 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm | Flanders Pavilion | Present by Larry Mitchell |
Larry will talk about the objects on the 2022 Stellafane Observing Olympics list, and will present some of the latest published technical information that has resulted in contradictory theories.
Details are on the Observing Olympics Page
Thu 8:30 am - 5:00 pm | Hartness House | Hosted by Tom Spirock | Workshop (Separate Registration) |
Thu 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm | Hartness House | Hosted by Tom Spirock | Dinner (Separate Registration) |
Fri 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm | McGregor Observatory | The Sun | Ages 5-12; Limited to first 15 |
Sat 11:00 am - 12:00 pm | McGregor Observatory | Star Clocks and Star Finders | Ages 5-12; Limited to first 15 |
Sat 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm | McGregor Observatory | Comets and Meteorites | Ages 5-12; Limited to first 15 |
There will be three 1-hour astronomy workshops for children; each session has a different activity. These astronomy workshops have been held at the Stellafane Convention since 1995. Led by Dr. Kristine Larsen, Professor of Astronomy at Central Connecticut State University and a member of the Springfield Telescope Makers, each of the three 1-hour workshops includes several activities geared for children ages 5 - 12.Younger children are welcome but will need help from a parent.
Due to space limitations, each workshop is limited to 15 children on a first-come basis. Late-comers may be turned away.
Fri 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm | Bunkhouse | Presented by Paul Fucile and Eimear Gallagher | Teens 12-17 |
The Stellafane Teen program participants this year will learn about the mission and technology behind the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Launched on the morning of December 25, 2021, the spacecraft coasted successfully into a stable orbit around Lagrange Point 2. Present operations involve precisely aligning the 18 mirror segments with the first Science images scheduled to appear this summer. Designed to perform infrared astronomy, a multi-layer heatshield will keep the instruments cool permitting a view deeper into space than before.
This will be a hands-on class where the group will work in teams to construct a JWST inspired technology that will be demonstrated at the Convention. Attendance will be first-come first-served. If you are 100% sure your teen will attend convention and will want to attend this event, then you’ll need to get them on the list. Please email us directly at robots@stellafane.org. Special note: There will be a lot of specialized instruction so you will need to be on time!
Fri 1:00 pm - | Swap Table Area | Hosted by Wayne Zuhl | 16 and under / Weather Permitting |
Held in the Swap Table Area on Friday starting at 1:00 PM (Weather Permitting) for children age 16 and under. The overall winner of the event will win a telescope that they will assemble with 'Stargazer' Steve Dodson in the Pavilion Saturday morning. This year the kit is being donated by Peter Bealo. Complete information and rules (pdf)
Fri 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm | Observing Fields | Please set up your Solar Scope and Share | |
Sat 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm | Observing Fields | Please set up your Solar Scope and Share |
Thu 8:30 pm - 12:00 am | Observing Fields | Coordinated by Eileen Myers | Telescopes & Binoculars |
Fri 8:30 pm - 12:00 am | Observing Fields | Coordinated by Eileen Myers | Telescopes & Binoculars |
Sat 8:30 pm - 12:00 am | Observing Fields | Coordinated by Eileen Myers | Telescopes & Binoculars |
Sun 10:30 am - 11:30 am | Hillside below McGregor | Coordinated by Eileen Myers | Award Pins Only |
Fri 9:00 am - 5:00 pm | Simoni Observatory | Solar Observing | Weather Permitting |
Sat 8:00 am - 5:00 pm | Simoni Observatory | Solar observing | Weather Permitting |
Thu 9:00 pm - 12:00 am | Observing | Weather Permitting | |
Fri 9:00 am - 6:00 pm | Open, Solar Observing | Weather Permitting | |
Fri 8:00 pm - 12:00 am | Observing | Weather Permitting | |
Sat 8:00 am - 6:00 pm | Open, Solar Observing | Weather Permitting | |
Sat 9:00 pm - 12:00 am | Observing | Weather Permitting |
Thu 9:00 pm - 12:00 am | Observing | Weather Permitting | |
Fri 10:00 am - 4:00 pm | Open, Solar Observing | Weather Permitting | |
Fri 8:00 pm - 12:00 am | Observing | Weather Permitting | |
Sat 8:00 am - 6:00 pm | Open, Solar Observing | Weather Permitting | |
Sat 9:00 pm - 12:00 am | Observing | Weather Permitting |
Fri 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm | Open | ||
Fri 9:00 pm - 12:00 am | Observing | Weather Permitting | |
Sat 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm | Open | ||
Sat 9:00 pm - 12:00 am | Observing | Weather Permitting |
Fri 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm | Flanders Pavilion | Astronomy documentaries for the whole family |
Short astronomy documentaries for the whole family.
Sun 8:00 am - 12:00 pm | Please clean up around your campsite | Please put trash in the dumpsters |
Please clean up around your campsite and parking area. All trash should be deposited in one of the large dumpsters by the Food Tent or Exit Lane. Please make sure there are no obstacles to grass mowing in the fields - any rocks, stakes, or other hazards should be returned to the woods or taken to the dumpsters. If you would like to take down rebar and string, we would appreciate that. Pile rebar and string on the side of the road, where it will be easy for us to find and pick up. Thank you very much for making Convention cleanup easier on all of us.
Fri 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm | Hartness House | Hosted by Matt Considine, Curator | |
Sun 9:00 am - 12:00 pm | Hartness House | Hosted by Matt Considine, Curator |
Thu 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm | Entry Gate | Please don't arrive before Noon! |
Thu 3:00 pm - 10:00 pm | Entry Gate | Please don't arrive before 3:00! |
Fri 8:00 am - | Entry Gate | Gate Opens | |
Fri 10:00 pm - | Entry Gate | Gate Closes | |
Sat 7:00 am - | Entry Gate | Gate Opens |
Fri 10:00 am - 6:00 pm | Bus Stops | Bus Stops: Pine Island, Food Tent, Pink Clubhouse | |
Sat 9:00 am - 5:00 pm | Bus Stops | Bus Stops: Pine Island, Food Tent, Pink Clubhouse |
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