Stellafane

The Stellafane Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Springfield, Vermont, founded in 1920 by Russell W. Porter. The Pink Clubhouse was built in 1923 at the site by the Springfield Telescope Makers Club. The name Stellafane, suggested by Porter at the club's December 1923 meeting, is derived from the Latin words stella and fanum meaning "Shrine to the Stars",[1] and originally referred specifically to the clubhouse, but has since come to refer to all of the club's land and buildings on the summit of Breezy Hill, west of downtown Springfield.

Stellafane Observatory
Alternative namesStellafane
OrganizationSpringfield Telescope Makers Club
LocationSpringfield, Windsor County, Vermont
Coordinates43°16′42″N 72°31′10″W
Altitude1290'
WeatherVariable weather – clear dark night skies
EstablishedAugust 12, 1920 (1920-08-12)
Stellafane Observatory
LocationBreezy Hill,
Springfield, Vermont
Area3.5 acres
Built1923, 1930 (1923, 1930)
NRHP reference No.77000107
Significant dates
Added to NRHP7 November 1977
Designated NHL20 December 1989
Websitestellafane.org
Location of Stellafane Observatory
Related media on Wikimedia Commons

The Stellafane Convention, a gathering of amateur telescope makers and amateur astronomers is the longest running astronomical convention in the United States,[2] having been held nearly every year at the location since 1926. The clubhouse and observatory became listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, and became a National Historic Landmark in 1989, in recognition of the club's pioneering role in the popularization of astronomy and the amateur construction of telescopes.[3][4]

History

Russell Porter was born in Springfield in 1871, and in 1919, upon returning to the town, began constructing telescopes with the assistance of employees and equipment from the factories in Springfield. The Springfield Telescope Makers Club grew out of an instructional class on how to make telescopes that was started by Porter the following year, on 12 August 1920.

The clubhouse
View of the original pink Clubhouse at the Stellafane Observatory

The members of this small group decided to build a clubhouse, and held their first meeting on 7 December 1923[5][6] on a 3.5-acre (14,000 m2) plot belonging to Porter on the 1,270-foot (390 m) summit of Breezy Hill outside of town.[7] The original 20 x 24-foot (7.3 m) clubhouse, with an 11 x 13-foot (4.0 m) ell added in 1926, included a meeting room, a kitchen, a workshop, and bunkrooms on the second floor. The building incorporated a polar Cassegrain telescope, a transit telescope (no longer functional), a solar telescope, and a sundial on the south wall.

Stellafane West

Besides the historic Stellafane "pink clubhouse," the original site includes Porter's uniquely designed Turret Telescope, a 12-inch (300 mm) f/17 Newtonian reflector built in 1930, consisting of an equatorially rotated concrete dome with the telescope mounted on the outside, with the observer on the inside working in heated comfort.

In 2017, the Simoni Spectrohelioscope Solar Observatory was constructed near the Turret Telescope, named after long-time convention attendee Andrew E. Simoni (1918-2013).

Stellafane West is still the location where the Springfield Telescope Makers hold most of their meetings and telescope competitions.

Stellafane East

Although the amateur telescope competition and display is still held on the original site around the clubhouse, most of the convention activities since the 1980s have taken place at Stellafane East, an annex to the original land about 0.25 mi away.[8]

Stellafane East is home to the more recent McGregor Observatory, built between 1986-1991, which boasts a 13" Schupmann telescope, the Breuning Domed Observatory built in the early 2000s, the Flanders Pavilion, built in 2005 and named after founding club member Ernest Flanders, as well as the "Aphitheater" hillside presentation area, the "Bunkhouse" which contains radio communications equipment, and several other buildings on the eastern site.[8]

Over 10 acres of land at Stellafane East are reserved as a camping area, with plots for tents, campers, and RVs to reside during the multi-day convention and other gatherings.

The convention

The Stellafane Convention is held every year on the club's land and buildings on the summit of Breezy Hill.[9] It was started by Porter and the Springfield Telescope Makers in 1926, as an occasion for some 20 amateur telescope makers to compare telescopes and exchange ideas. It has since become Thousands of amateur telescope makers from all over the world gather to share their innovations, join in competitions, and enjoy the night sky. The convention is generally held over the weekend of the new moon closest to the height of the Perseid meteor shower, usually in early August.

The convention has been held nearly every summer since 1926, with the exceptions of:

  • 1949–1953, following the death of founder Russell W. Porter
  • 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic

The convention has been attended by several notable figures in the fields of astronomy and space exploration, including Alan Bean, David H. Levy, Alan Stern, Clyde Tombaugh, and Samuel D. Hale, grandson of George Ellery Hale.

See also
Notable amateur astronomers associated with Stellafane

Notes
  1. Ken Slater. "stellafane.org, About Us – About Stellafane". Stellafane.org. Retrieved 2010-09-22.
  2. Nickell, Duane S. (2008). Guidebook for the Scientific Traveler. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press. p. 217. ISBN 978-0-8135-4918-7.
  3. "National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service – Stellafane Observatory". Tps.cr.nps.gov. 1989-12-20. Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2010-09-22.
  4. "NHL nomination for Stellafane Observatory". National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-04-18.
  5. Willard, Bert (2015), A Brief History of Stellafane, The Springfield Telescope Makers, Inc., retrieved 2015-08-25
  6. Ken Slater. "stellafane.org, Stellafane Early History". Stellafane.org. Retrieved 2010-09-22.
  7. Slater, Ken. "Stellafane Early History". stellafane.org. The Springfield Telescope Makers, Inc. Retrieved 2018-04-18.
  8. Editor. "Stellafane Modern History". stellafane.org. The Springfield Telescope Makers, Inc. Retrieved 2018-07-22. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  9. Walker, Sean (July 28, 2017). "Stellafane: A Weekend on Breezy Hill - Sky & Telescope". Sky & Telescope. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
Stellafane observatory
Stellafane convention
A large trailer mounted newtonian reflector on display during the 1983 Stellafane Convention with the pink Clubhouse and the Porter Turret Telescope in the background
View of the Simoni Spectrohelioscope building at Stellafane West
The McGregor Observatory building at Stellafane East
The Stellafane logo on the cornerstone of the McGregor Observatory
View of the Breuning Domed Observatory at the 2021 Stellafane Convention
View of the Flanders Pavilion at the 2021 Stellafane Convention
Stellafane presentation at the hillside amphitheater in 1999
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