2021 Stellafane News

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• 

  The Founders: Guy Baker

  [2021-Dec-13] While the year draws to a close, we present you with our fourth and final founder profile of the year.
  
  This time around, we take a look at Guy Baker. Unfortunately, while he was present at the signing of the Charter, very little is known about him, his life and time with the STMs. He did get sketched by Porter, as Porter was wont to do early on, an opportunity which not every of the Founders managed to receive.
  
  So come and join us and learn about Guy Baker or some of the others via the Founders page if you haven't already. In the new year, we'll start unveiling more of the Founders.

• 2021 Board Election & Update

  [2021-Nov-16] November means elections, and so we have news for you. This year has seen a major update to its slate of Officers.
  
  With both Jeff Lowe and Keven McCuller stepping down as President and Vice President, we have Bob Morse stepping in as our new President, while Cecilia Detrich comes in as our new VP! Thank you both to Jeff and Keven for their longstanding service, and we look forward to what's in store next.
  
  Rounding out the list of Officers, is Terri Simoni as our new Secretary, replacing Jay Drew. Glenn Jackson remains as Treasurer, while Kris Larsen and Ken Slater remain unchanged as Trustees. Bruce Beford is voted in as new Trustee. And with that, we have our new Board. Congratulations all-around, and thank you to those who've worked tirelessly for their service!

• 100 Years after Porter, STMs Ascend Hawks Mountain again

  [2021-Oct-7] In September 1921, Russell Porter's Telescope Making Group was looking for an observing site, and ascended Hawks Mountain to camp out with their telescopes. Hawks Mountain is located in Cavendish, Vermont, about 15 miles northwest of Springfield. They returned again in 1922, and this time installed a small brass plaque on the summit commemorating both trips.
  
  In 1923 this group became the Springfield Telescope Makers, and by 1924 they establish the Stellafane clubhouse and had a permanent observing site. Excursions to Hawks Mountain were no longer necessary.
  
  However, STM members have not forgotten the early Hawks Mountain expeditions, and over the years have continued to visit the summit and the plaque. On Sunday, October 3, 2021, four members of the club hiked up Hawks Mountain, bushwhacking their way to the summit, since there is no trail or road that goes there. There, 100 years after Porter and his informal group visited Hawks Mountain, the current Springfield Telescope Makers returned to keep this tradition alive.
  
  Hawks Mountain has changed over the years - in Porter's time it was largely devoid of trees, as was much of Vermont in that era. Today it is totally forested, and the summit area is covered in ferns where the soil is too shallow and trees cannot get a foothold - it is no longer a high point with long views. It is currently owned by the State of Vermont as the Hawks Mountain Wildlife Management Area and is totally undeveloped.
  
  We are looking forward to next year's trip, when we will commemorate the centennial of the placing of the plaque.
  
  

  1921: Porter's Group on Hawks Mountain enjoying a meal. Porter is behind the man in the center with the big hat.

  2021-Oct-03 Clockwise from top left: STM Members Mike Hayes, Ken Slater, Tom Spirock, and Glenn Becker. The iron pin in the foreground is from the 1875 geodetic survey, and the brass plaque is by the members feet.

  This plaque was placed in 1922 commemorating the 1921 Occupation of this site by the telescope makers.

• September Imaging Update

  [2021-Sep-26]Another imaging update for you all this month. The early hours of September 8th gave us some of the sharpest views of both Jupiter and Saturn, imaged by the 13-Inch Schupmann. To top it off, we have an animated image of Jupiter for you. Details are below.
  
  

  Jupiter and Saturn from the morning of 9/8/21. Schupmann telescope at Stellafane operating at 13" f-17. Image scale of 0.14 arc-sec per pixel. ZWO ASI120MC-S one-shotcolor camera.

• 

  The Founders: Raymond Fairbanks

  [2021-Sep-14] Previously in this series, we've visited founders Ralph Flanders and his brother Ernest. Today in our founder spotlight, we take a look at Raymond Fairbanks.
  
  Unfortunately, there is actually very little known about him, other than to say that he was a member of Porter's First Class, and was present at the signing of the Charter in 1923. Some lucky attendees of Conventions from the 1980's might have had the pleasure of conversing with him, however, as it is known that he had attended a convention some time in the early 80's, year unknown.
  
  Check out the Founders page to read more about Raymond or to catch up with what you've missed. Next time up, we will reveal our final Founder of the year!

• No Fall Star Parties

  [2021-Sep-12] We are sorry to announce that we will not be holding any fall star parties this year due the resurgence of Covid-19 in the New England area. The STM thank you for your understanding.

• Latest Astro Imaging from Stellafane

  [2021-Aug-11] Days before Convention, some STM members were busy at the McGregor Observatory imaging some of our favorite planets. Using the 13-Inch Schupmann, and converted to a 9-Inch f-24 using a Lyot' stop, a method that allows a decrease in aperture when conditions are unfavorable to use full aperture, the results are a sharper image with better seeing under moderate viewing conditions. We can see the clear results here with Jupiter and Saturn.
  
  

  Jupiter & Saturn with 13" Schupmann stopped down to 9" f/24 via Lyot' Stop. Imaged by the Springfield Telescope Makers.

• New Stellafane Weather Station

  [2021-Jul-17] Whether one is at home or on-site, one can now take a quick look at the current weather thanks to a new Weather station installed on the utility pole just south of the Clubhouse.
  
  One can either visit the Clubhouse Weather Station page, also accessible via the 'Observing' dropdown menu, or directly via the Weather Underground app or Website by searching for "KVTSPRIN30".

• 

  The Founders: Ernest Flanders

  [2021-Jun-05] Last time out, in our inaugural article about the Founders Page, we took a look at the life of Ralph Flanders and his involvement and support of the club, while he came to eventually become President of Jones and Lamson, solidifying an important early alliance.
  
  This time out, meet Stellafane Founder Ernest V. Flanders, brother of Ralph Flanders, in this month's Spotlight on Founders! Ernest joined his brother Ralph following WWI and with him engineered key manufacturing innovations that accelerated the arrival of Aviation's 'Jet Age'! For 66 years, he was a pillar of civic life in Springfield and was devoted to the success of the Springfield Telescope Makers and Stellafane.
  
  Check out the Founders page to read more about Ernest or to catch up with what you've missed.

• 

  2021 Convention Registration now Open!

  [2021-May-15] Hello Campers! No doubt you've all been eager for normal life to resume. To many of us, returning to Convention is a big part of this feeling. We're pleased to say, that as far as things currently are developing (as per Vermont regulations), all signs point to a convention being held. Of course, some changes have been made to be mindful of pandemic issues, but it is going ahead as planned. That is good news, and registration has opened as of May 7th. And yes, we hear you; there will be swap tables!
  
  Some things to note: There is no registration by post this year, and there is no pay-at-the-gate. Everyone attending must register online, no exceptions. We are collecting additional contact information at registration, in the unlikely event contact tracing needs to be done.
  
  Now, mind you, the scary pandemic world is always changing, and so we ask you to regularly check the registration page every few weeks to see if the status of Convention has changed. But we are hopeful that any changes are of a nature of moving towards normal.
  
  Visit the 2021 Convention page for more information.

• 

  While not technically a photo of the Founders (i.e. this is of the First Class), there is no group photo of the founders themselves that we know of.

  Introducing The Founders

  [2021-Mar-07] This is a special decade for us, as we come to celebrate many things about the club. October of last year saw us celebrate the first telescope making class that Russell Porter put together, which club Historian Matt Considine wrote about here. In a few years, another landmark year will see us celebrating the founding of the Springfield Telescope Makers. Further yet, and we will celebrate the year the first Stellafane Convention took place.
  
  What is a club, if not for its people? Indeed, what about the very people at the heart of its foundation? There is a lot we can learn about the early beginnings of a club when we learn about its founding members. This is why the Springfield Telescope Makers are very proud to showcase a new website feature, the Founders page. It will live in the Early History Section, which will be all about the founders of the Springfield Telescope Makers. It is a page where information about each of the 12 founders of the club will be available, all in one place for ease of access.
  
  Starting this Month, a new Founder will be made available every three months. This will carry us out into 2023, the Springfield Telescope Makers' founding year, where we end with Russell Porter.
  
  And so we turn to Ralph Flanders to kick things off. Interestingly, while he was present at the signing of the charter and even signed it himself, we note that he technically wasn't a charter member as other documentation shows. But he was highly supportive of the group at its inception and grew to be quite influential in it (as would his family as the Flanders Pavilion could attest). Having apprenticed as a machinist, he would become an editor for a trade magazine which would allow him to travel widely to cover developments in machine tool technology. He'd later move to Springfield and catch the eye of James Hartness, who was then President of the Jones & Lamson Machine Company, who then hired him to work for the company. He would later become President of the Company, establishing many improvements and firsts in the field. Jones & Lamson would become a great ally for the club to have in its foundational beginnings. For more on Ralph Flanders, visit his Founders page.
  
  We hope you enjoy learning about the original Founders just as much as we enjoyed putting it together!

• 

  Scene of 1939 Convention by Carl Alsing (Wilbrahm, MA), film digitized by Joe Roberts

  Stellafane 1939 in Motion

  [2021-Feb-07] It is always interesting to see how our Convention would have been in its early days. Even now, nearly 100 years later, things are being discovered, or in this case, rediscovered. Today we revisit the 1939 Convention thanks to a film shot on 8mm film by Carl Alsing (of Wilbrahm, MA), recently found and digitized by Joe Roberts.
  
  While the film has no sound (the hum that you hear is that of the projector), one would likely love being a fly on the wall of the Clubhouse to hear what everyone's discussing, including Porter who does appear in the video.
  
  Previously, the earliest known film of Stellafane was from 1941, in which Porter also appears. This film has recently been made available again on YouTube. Both videos can be viewed by visiting the Historic Convention Photos page for 1926-1948.
  
  Thank you, Joe Roberts for making a window into our past available for all to see.

• Onward 2021!

  [2021-Jan-01] Well, admittedly, the new decade has been off to a rocky start, and we all couldn't wait to put 2020 behind us.
  
  But we hope that you've all taken the time to perhaps start new telescope projects or complete old ones, or maybe if you're new to it all, you've taken the opportunity to make your own mirror for a soon future telescope, perhaps to be displayed at a future convention.
  
  As for the year ahead, we hope for a brighter future, and of course, for a 2021 convention. The Springfield Telescope Makers wish everyone a Happy New Year, and a safe future!

• 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.

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