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| A streaking meteor caught on camera at Stellafane 2010. |
Photo by Dennis di Cicco, Sky & Telescope Magazine
2013 Stellafane Convention The 78th Convention of Amateur Telescope Makers on Breezy Hill in Springfield, Vermont, the 2013 Stellafane Convention, will be held Thursday through Sunday August 8-11, 2013. 2013 Convention Program Highlights Brother Guy Consolmagno SJ Comet Tales: Our changing view of these Cosmic Vagabonds will be the keynote talk given by Guy Consolmagno at the Saturday Evening Program. He studies the physics of meteorites and asteroids and serves as Curator of Meteorites at the Vatican Observatory. He is co-author of the popular sky guide Turn Left at Orion. More... A Hartness House Workshop on Solar Astronomy will be held on Thursday. Requires separate registration and fees. More... Brother Guy will be available to sign copies of his book at a time and place to be announced. New: First Homemade Telescope Certificates for people who bring their first homade telescope for display on Breezy Hill. More... The following speakers are confirmed, but not in the program yet as we have not yet assigned them a venue or speaking time. History and Design of the Porter Turret Telescope by Bert Willard, club historian and ATM museum curator. Observing Double and Triple Stars by Glenn Chaple. The Wonderful World of Wideangle Astroimaging by Al Takeda. Make Your Own Observatory by Phil Harrington Gigapixel Focal Plane for Ground Based Astronomy with Atmospheric Distortion Correction by Berni Kosicki.
The best part is all of the traffic on Breezy Hill!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is a big event for Springfield, it has been going on for many many years. Stellafane gets it roots from the big shops during their early years. Great time and good food, very interesting subjects and works of art in the telescopes that are on display. Close to 1000 people attend. Undoubtly the biggest yearly event in this town.
ReplyDeleteIf you have never been, take the family Friday or Saturday. Big area to walk around in. They even have buses to get you around. Yes there is traffic on Breezy hill, but it is good traffic, not that punk type of traffic.. boom boom get a hearing aid and muffler....
Anyway check it out, you will be impressed, especially for viewing of the night sky !!!
This ranks right up there with school music recitals in my opinion-- as close as you can get to going to church without going to church-- The telescope was one of the few instruments that broke the hold of superstition on the Western mind, and it was almost inevitable that telescope making would become the hobby of the managerial class of Springfield's machine tool industry. They after all were men who sought to impose rational development in humanity's understanding and control of natural processes.
ReplyDeleteThe most common type associated with the even, the reflector telescope, calls for a mirror that is ground to a curvature precise (if I recall correctly) to one-hundred-thousandth of an inch. Its finish is measured in light waves-- and the members (you can't be a member unless you've built your own scope) do them by hand! These people are not gods, but their handiwork has led us to a far, far better understanding of how God works. Nor do they view themselves as high priests. We are in the presence of ordinary Joes and Janes who know how to do something extremely well and in so doing advance the limits of human knowledge. At Stellafane, we tread on hallowed ground. Enjoy it, by all means!
By Springfield standards, the Stellafane Convention is a major event. However it's an event that is largely transparent to the community, which is regretful.
ReplyDeleteI travel throughout the country to attend several enthusiast conventions annually. Typically, such conventions receive enthusiastic backing from the entire, host community. Boy Scout troops, youth athletic leagues, VFW posts, fraternal organizations, etc., etc., all join in. Objective being, to welcome these desirable guests with food concessions, sundry supplies, raffles, and anything else that would benefit their visit and generate revenue.
In the event of inclement weather, could be endless entertainment options. Every motel and restaurant should be having a week-long promotion to welcome these guests encouraging them to extend their stay.
We're talking thousands of well educated, professional, comfortably affluent, ethnically desirable, guests. Some even traveling internationally to be here. All looking to relax and enjoy themselves. Springfield on the Dole couldn't pull off an event of this caliber if they had to. Yet they have this in their lap and treat it with complete disregard.
The simplest way to be friendly is to look for the ID badge most of them wear (most years it's been pink), and say, "You're a scoper!" They love it. You can probably wangle an invitation to the Saturday night presentation, which is always superb. And if the weekend is like most of those in past conventions, advise them that for their kids the town pool is great and it's cheap.
DeleteHey 12:49.......what is "ethnically desirable"? More importantly.....what is 'ethnically undesirable'??????
DeleteI went to this convention many times as a kid and loved it! This should def be more promoted than it is. The town should embrace this and get local businesses to boost their business. All of the people who travel here should be shown what the town's rich history of the machine shops and the astronomy have to do with how at once that this was a very important place in America.
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