Happy 97th Birthday, Springfield Telescope Makers!
[2020-Dec-07] It was on this day, December 7th, 1923, that a charter would be drawn up to officially form the club. Mind you, as records show us, it wasn't always called 'The Springfield Telescope Makers' (a story we'll get into some other time), and Russell W. Porter and Friends likely didn't know they'd end up becoming trailblazers.
As a special treat, we have made available a transcript of the First Minutes of this historic meeting on our First Club Minutes page.
2020 Board Update
[2020-Nov-16] At the meeting this Saturday, the Annual elections were held. We have an update for you.
We'd like to thank Dave Tabor for his many years of service to the board as he steps down. Cecelia Detrich steps up to take his position as Trustee. Meanwhile, Keven McCuller becomes the new Vice-President while we'd like to thank Francis O'reilley as he steps down. We'd also like to thank everyone for their continued service.
Jeff Lowe President
Keven MCuller Vice President
Jay Drew Secretary
Glenn Jackson Treasurer
Kris Larsen Trustee
Ken Slater Trustee
Cecilia Detrich Trustee
Porter Lunar and Martian Craters
[2020-Nov-01] Did you know that there are craters both on the Moon and Mars bearing Porter's namesake?
It's true! In 1970, the IAU recognized the accomplishments of Russell W. Porter, and the crater formally known as Clavius B was renamed in his honor. There are also two other smaller craters named after him on the Moon.
Several years after Clavius B on the Lunar surface had been renamed, the IAU would go on to name him a Martian crater. Porter's influences know no bounds!
If you thought this was interesting, you'll be glad to know we have other little interesting morsels and have put this information together in our new Stellafane Names in Space page. Here you can discover the full details of the Lunar and Martian craters, including the asteroids named after certain STM Members.
Dave Kelly cleaning his 12.5" Mirror during a Spray-on silvering demo at the 2019 Convention. - Photo by Patrick Dodson
Dave Kelly cleaning his 12.5" Mirror during a Spray-on silvering demo at the 2019 Convention.
Mirror Cleaning the Vermont Way
[2020-Oct-26] As Telescope Makers, we often worry about how we can safely clean our mirrors. It is a common enough question that merits answering, and it is a great skill to have.
STM Member Paul Valelli has offered a recipe for success and a step-by-step procedure using inexpensive materials, a process which can safely be done at home.
This procedure will help you should you find yourself in a bind. Check it out here
Fall Star Parties are canceled.
[2020-Oct-17] Some of you have been looking forward to the yearly Fall Star Parties held at and around Stellafane. Unfortunately, we've had to make the decision to cancel them. We appreciate your understanding, and we hope to see you next time under better circumstances!
Autumn colors surround the Clubhouse on Breezy Hill.
Autumn colors surround
the Clubhouse
Fall Leaves at Stellafane
[2020-Oct-03] While the summer season has come and gone, Fall has been quickly set upon us. Beautiful vivid yellows and reds have returned in the Green Mountain State! Before long, all that will be gone, making way for Winter.
STM Member Thomas Spirock has captured the beauty of Autumn in a series of High-Dynamic-Range (HDR) photos, and hopes in the future to bring us more.
While most will likely only get to experience Stellafane during the Summer season, our plan is to show you Stellafane during other seasons.
Mars with 13" Schupmann at peak opposition
Mars with 13" Schupmann
[2020-Sept-14] With Mars settling-in at peak opposition, STM member Tom Spirock gives us a look of Mars as seen with the 13" Shupmann, operating at 9" F/26.
You can see Syrtis Major, the central dark area, and Mare Tyrrhenum immediately to the left of Syrtis Major. The circular bright area immediately to the upper right of Syrtis Major is the Hellas Basin, an impact structure.
Caption
Group photo of Porter's first class
100 Years Ago, The First Class
[2020-Aug-24] While we may all be at home, separated via the pandemic that is itself a milestone upon all our lives, it may be incredible to think 100 years ago, events were set in motion that would eventually lead to the founding of the Springfield Telescope Makers. But what was this event?
On August 17th, 1920, before the Springfield Telescope Makers were even a basic idea, and before everyone congregated onto a hilltop where a pink-painted clubhouse quietly sits while 'The Heavens Declare the Glory of God', and a group led by Russell W. Porter organized themselves at Jones & Lamson. They all shared a mutual interest in wanting to build their own telescopes. Several years later, interest in their classes led them to wonder if maybe there was enough to sustain a yearly congregation. So, let's all toast Porter and the first group to their fateful day, one hundred years ago.
If you'd like to read more about the first class, STM Member and Club Historian Matt Considine has put together an article full of details of this fateful day,
Read it here.
The (Canceled) 2020 Convention
[2020-Aug-14] Today marks the beginning of what would have been our 85th convention. The Springfield Telescope Makers join you in being disappointed that convention is not happening this year.
Convention is certainly a special time for all of us, both attendees and members alike.
- A time of excitement - what will be new and different?
- A time of anticipation - about seeing old friends who we haven't seen for a convention, or two, or ten!
- A time of decisions - to go to this talk, or that demo?
- A time of worry - that the weather would hold out until Sunday, at least until right after packing to head home
- A time of exhaustion - from the lack of sleep that we would not trade for anything!
- A time of awe - as we settle in for the evening around hundreds of different scopes, admiring the heavens and watching for Perseids
- A time of nostalgia - remembering Conventions passed, and good times experienced, and the good friends who were there
The STMs go through these emotions and exhaustion as we prep for Convention, too! We're truly all missing this together!
It may not seem it, but the spirit of Convention is alive this year. It's in the disappointment, thoughts, memories, dreams and heart of everyone who wants to be there! And if we're going to dream about it, the Springfield Telescope Makers think it would be good for all of us to live our own 'mini-convention', back in our homes and hometowns. We can enjoy Convention together, even though we are apart.
As of right now, we hereby empower everyone who would otherwise be at Convention this weekend, to help us to further telescope making, astronomy or any of the associated sciences. We ask you to do this by engaging someone who is not into astronomy already - friends or family - in a way that is safe for you and them. It doesn't have to be lengthy or difficult, and includes, but is certainly not limited to things like:
- Sharing views of the night sky with a telescope (or binoculars) - it is so much fun when they see Saturn for the first time!
- Watch an astronomy or science related educational or informative movie
- "Seeing in the Dark" with Timothy Ferris is a great introduction to stargazing - and includes clips from Stellafane around 2005
- Online videos like "How Quickly Does a Supernova Happen?" are great, too! "https://phys.org/news/2015-04-quickly-supernova.html
- Make 'dirty comets' - and eat them, too! "http://deepimpact.umd.edu/disczone/spec/IceCream01.html
- Visit a planetarium near you
- And so much more!
Remember to follow CDC guidelines regarding masks, physical distancing, etc.!
It's up to you! Bring someone new to Astronomy during this missing convention. And then, next year, you can bring them with you!
And above all, wear your masks, practice physical distancing, and do anything else you can to keep yourselves and families safe. We want you there to help us enjoy our 85th Convention, next year!
Lastly, with no convention, we've lost the revenue we normal take in for this year. Even with no convention, Stellafane and Stellafane East will still incur thousands in site operating costs. If you would like to help us out, please consider making a tax deductible donation. We'd really appreciate it. More info and a secure form can be found at
https://stellafane.org/help/donate-form.html.
Clear skies!
The Springfield Telescope Makers
The 2021 Stellafane Convention is planned for August 5-8, 2021
The 2020 Stellafane Convention: Registration is Delayed
[2020-Apr-26] Update: Since this story was originally published, the convention has been cancelled. Please see the
Convention Page for details.
The 85th Convention of Amateur Telescope Makers on Breezy Hill in Springfield, Vermont, the 2020 Stellafane Convention, is scheduled to be held
Thursday through Sunday August 13-16, 2020.
We are busy preparing for the 2020 Convention, but given the uncertainty due the COVID-19 virus pandemic and associated restrictions, we have decided to postpone the traditional opening of registration from May 1st to June 1st, when we hope to have a better idea if it will be possible to hold convention this year.
We want you to know that while we really want to hold convention, we also want our conventioneers, volunteers and club members to be safe. Currently Vermont has a restriction on mass gatherings, which we fully respect, and that will have to be lifted before convention can be held. There are likely to be regulations related to social distancing, and some program elements and venues may need to be eliminated for this year. There are a lot of complexities that need to be addressed, and no firm information of what August will be like at this time. We will be ready if conditions allow.
The club was founded in late 1923, and the first Stellafane convention was held in 1926. Conventions were held every year until World War II, when there were no conventions in 1942-45. Postwar, the size of the club shrank dramatically, and there were not enough members to put on a convention, resulting in no conventions in 1947 and 1949 through 1953. This distressed a lot of people; the Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston wanted to do something about it, and they volunteered take on program planning and registration allowing the few STM members to focus on site work and local arrangements. Conventions resumed in 1954 with their help and have been held continuously since then (We now do it all ourselves, having regrown the club). We are very reluctant to end that continuous streak, but these are extraordinary times and circumstances and public safety will dictate the outcome.
We hope you and those close to you are safe and healthy, and that we will see you as usual at Stellafane this summer. We will do our best to bring you the 85th Stellafane Convention if conditions allow it.
Figure 2: Attendees of the Hartness House Workshop
Figure 2: Attendees of the Hartness House Workshop
Hartness House Workshop: A New Tradition
[2020-Mar-11] Diligent readers of Reflector Magazine might have noticed an article about the Hartness House Workshop in the most
recent issue. This article described the relatively new tradition, started in 2009, that is paired alongside the Stellafane Convention.
An expanded version of this article now appears below.
A New Addition to an Old Tradition
The Stellafane Convention, a weekend gathering of amateur telescope makers and astronomy enthusiasts, has been held at the summit of Breezy Hill, near Springfield, Vermont, almost every year since 1926 [1, 2]. Sponsored by the Springfield Telescope Makers (STM), the event has expanded from the first group of a couple dozen people learning about telescope making to currently about 1,000 participants. While the size and scope have grown and the program has greatly expanded from the modest events of the 1920s, the basic goal has remained the same -- teaching people about telescope making and astronomy. The Convention now includes an elaborate series of presentations on telescope making, astronomy, and related topics designed to embrace all levels of interest and experience [3]. And beyond the historic Stellafane pink clubhouse [4] and 1930 Porter turret telescope observatory -- hallowed by all who know them -- newer facilities include expanded camping, parking, and observing areas; a 6,000-square-foot pavilion; a natural amphitheater; and the McGregor Observatory and its very unusual 13-inch Shupmann telescope [1].
Among relatively new aspects of the Convention is also the “Hartness House Workshop” that was added to the program in 2009 at the suggestion of senior STM member Bert Willard. Initially co-sponsored by the Antique Telescope Society, the Workshop is now an established feature of the Stellafane Convention and is held at the historic Hartness House Inn [5, 6] in Springfield. Requiring a separate registration (for limited seating), the event allows Convention goers the option to participate in a day of advanced presentations on various astronomical subjects. The venue also features access to the Hartness-Porter Museum of Amateur Telescope Making (maintained by the STM) and the famous Hartness turret telescope observatory, both on the grounds of the Inn. The 10-inch Hartness refractor, with optics by John A. Brashear, dates from 1910 and was mounted in one of the most innovative observatory designs in the world [Figure 1].
The general subject of the Hartness House Workshop varies from year to year as shown in this list starting from the first in 2009: General History of Astronomy, Lunar Morphology, Meteors, Meteorites, and Minor Planets, Historical Telescopes and Related Instrumentation: Conservation and Study, Solar Astronomy, Binary and Multiple Star Astronomy, Innovation in Astronomy Education & Outreach, Sub-Arcsecond Spatial Resolution Imaging, The Search for and Science of Exoplanets, Antique Telescopes, Observatories and Related Equipment, Advanced Telescope Making.
Scheduled on the Thursday of the long-weekend Convention, the Workshop typically
consists of (1) a series of relatively advanced talks related to the general theme of the Workshop; (2) an open house at the Hartness-Porter Museum of Amateur Telescope
Making [7]; (3) free time for attendees to mingle and exchange information; (4) an evening banquet that includes a keynote presentation by an expert in the Workshop theme; and (5) observing with the Hartness turret telescope observatory, weather permitting. (Note that the Hartness Observatory was the inspiration for the later Porter turret telescope observatory at Stellafane [8].) The Inn's lecture room tends to be crowded and the well-packed schedule makes for a full and very interesting day [Figure 2]. Attendees overwhelmingly appreciate the intimate nature of the event, especially the scheduled breaks that allow everyone to talk shop. Most participants, including many presenters, go on to attend the Stellafane Convention proper on Breezy Hill through Friday and Saturday.
The subject for the 2020 Workshop is “Professional-Amateur Collaboration and Small Observatory Science." We already have an almost full slate of speakers, including the following: Timothy Brothers (MIT), Robert Buchheim (Society for Astronomical Science), Dennis Conti (AAVSO), David Latham (CfA/Harvard), Emily Mailhot (Large Binocular Telescope), Caroline Odden (Phillips Academy, Andover), Joey Rodriguez (CfA/Harvard), and Chris Houghton & Paul Fucile (STM).
Over the years since 2009, the success of the Workshop has been entirely dependent on the generosity of the distinguished speakers, the vast majority of whom participated with no compensation or even travel support. The speakers have appreciated that all proceeds from the Hartness House Workshop, modest as they are, are dedicated to the maintenance of the Hartness-Porter Museum of Amateur Telescope Making housed in the underground rooms contiguous with the Hartness Observatory. The Museum is open for tours during both the Workshop and the Stellafane Convention [9]. On-line registration for both the Hartness House Workshop and the Stellafane Convention proper will open in May. Please watch the Stellafane homepage for details [10], including outlines of recent Workshop programs.
If you have never attended the Hartness House Workshop we encourage you to consider doing so -- you will find it an interesting and enlightening addition to your Convention experience. Note that attendance at the Workshop allows you to enter the Stellafane site a day early (the Wednesday before the Workshop) and an opportunity for an extra night of observing. If you have never attended the Stellafane Convention perhaps you should now get that off of your “astronomical bucket list." And, if you've attended the Convention in the past, but haven't done so in a while, consider returning. You'll likely find quite a few changes. However, not to worry -- the Pink Clubhouse, Porter turret telescope observatory, and the amateur telescope making competition are right where you left them.
Thomas Spirock, Daniel Lorriane, and John W. Briggs
Springfield Telescope Makers,
Springfield, Vermont
[2020-Mar-07] Please take note that March's Telescope Making Workshop has effectively been canceled amid concerns of the Coronavirus, and will try to reconvene in April. This month's meeting will go ahead, however it has been moved to the Hartness House.
UPDATE, March 11th: It has since been decided to cancel the March Meeting altogether for health reasons. Again, to repeat, there is no meeting scheduled for this month. Thank you for your understanding.
M8 Lagoon Nebula
200", Photo in Red Light
M8 Lagoon Nebula
200" Photo in Red Light
A Treasure Trove Unearthed
[2020-Jan-19] The Springfield Telescope Makers have received the donation of a collection of historic photographs of Celestial Objects from member Linda Wheeler. They had been kept by her husband, the late member Walt Wheeler, and were originally aquired and framed by long-time iconic Stellafaner, Walter Scott (Scotty) Houston. Some of the photographs were among the first taken with the 200-Inch Hale Telescope on Mt. Palomar, and probably dated back to the early 1950's.
"Scotty" Houston wrote more than 500 monthly "Deep Sky Wonders columns for Sky & Telescope. He was a prolific observer and familiar presence at numerous Stellafane Conventions, with his broad-brimmed hat and curved pipe, both of which are featured at the Telescope Museum. Beginning in the 1980s he challenged and inspired owners of large 'Dobsonian' telescopes to look deeper into the Universe, past familiar objects, like M13.
[2020-Jan-01] Hello to a New Year! This year brings upon us not only a new year, but a new Decade. And as we look back at the past decade, we have seen a lot of improvements come to convention and the ground it sits on, and we continue to improve them. We've hosted many great speakers such as Nagin Cox, Alan Stern (twice!), Filmmaker Todd Mason and Samuel Hale (George Ellery Hale's Grandson), among many others. It certainly has been an interesting decade.
Moving forward, this new decade promises to be a very exciting one, historically speaking, for it is the decade of our centennial. In 1926, a small gathering of astronomers got together in what would become the annual Stellafane convention. Watch this space and expect some more historical content in the months and years to come as we near this important date.
