Stellafane Convention met July 24th-27th

The Stellafane Amateur Telescope Makers' Convention met for the 79th time in Springfield July 24 - 27.
http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/stellafane-convention-met-july-24th-27th

Stellafane Convention Met July 24th-27th Submitted by VT Journal on Tue, 07/29/2014 - 4:51pm By SUMMER RITTER The Shopper SPRINGFIELD, VT -The Stellafane Convention met for the 79th time in Springfield from July 24 -27, 2014. “The conventioneers that attended enjoyed various talks and programs about astronomy and telescope making as well as being treated to a wonderful night of observing under pristine Vermont skies,” said Gary Cislak past-president of the Springfield Telescope Makers. Amateur telescope makers gathered for workshops, telescope making demonstrations, and presentations throughout the four-day event. These events were held at both the Breezy Hill location as well as the Hartness House. By night participants were able to take advantage of the location on Breezy Hill to train their telescopes on various celestial bodies, with the skies being especially good for viewing on Saturday night. The program of events appealed to a range of ages and abilities. The program offering ranged from astronomy presentations accessible to beginners, such as “Getting Started in Astronomy,” to advanced discussions about astronomical technology, such as “Optical Coating for Astronomical Observatories.” Additionally, activities for teens and children were held throughout the event, such as “Astronomy Activities for Children: Craters!” and “Telescope Making for Teens.” While the Stellafane convention allows telescope makers to come together and discuss tricks of the trade, there is also a competitive component: participants can enter their telescopes into the Optical and Mechanical Telescope Competition. The optical category requires that the optical features in the telescope be homemade, and the mechanical category requires that most of the telescope be homemade. The instruments in the optical category are assessed for their image quality, while those in the mechanical category were assessed for traits including craftsmanship, stability, convenience, and ingenuity. If applicable, a telescope could be entered into both categories. The competition was judged on Friday night, and the awards were presented on Saturday. Also on Saturday, certificates were presented to first-time telescope makers who displayed their telescope at the event. This is the second year that this has been done as part of an effort to bolster the craft of telescope making. Homemade and commercial telescopes can be utilized at the convention. A highlight of the event was when the Schupmann Telescope, which boasts a 13-inch lens, located in the McGregor Observatory atop the hill was focused on Saturn for participants to see. This year’s keynote speaker was Dr. Christine Dunn, a researcher in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at University College London. She gave a presentation on Saturday night entitled “Creating the Giant: Fabricating the Mirrors of the European Extremely Large Telescope” which discussed the challenges of creating large telescopes, as well as employing robots to create the mirrors used in the telescopes. Dunn writes the software for the robots that create the mirrors. “It was a well-attended, successful convention, and the weather cooperated wonderfully,” said Cislak. The Stellafane convention is the oldest convention of its type in the United States. It will convene again next year on August 13-16, 2015