Stellafane
Encyclopedia
Springfield, Vermont
Springfield is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 9,373 at the 2010 census.-History:One of the New Hampshire grants, the township was chartered on August 20, 1761 by Governor Benning Wentworth and awarded to Gideon Lyman and 61 others...
in the early 1920s, and has since come to refer to the club's land and buildings on the summit of Breezy Hill. It also refers to the Stellafane Convention, a gathering of amateur telescope makers
Amateur telescope making
Amateur telescope making is the activity of building telescopes as a hobby, as opposed to being a paid professional. Amateur telescope makers build their instruments for personal enjoyment of a technical challenge, as a way to obtain an inexpensive or personally customized telescope, or as a...
and amateur astronomers
Amateur astronomy
Amateur astronomy, also called backyard astronomy and stargazing, is a hobby whose participants enjoy watching the night sky , and the plethora of objects found in it, mainly with portable telescopes and binoculars...
(star party
Star party
A star party is a gathering of amateur astronomers for the purpose of observing the sky. Local star parties may be one night affairs, but larger events can last up to a week or longer and attract hundreds or even thousands of participants. Many regional star parties are now held annually and are an...
) held every year at that location.
The clubhouse
The Springfield Telescope Makers grew out of a class on how to make telescopes that was started by Russell W. PorterRussell W. Porter
Russell Williams Porter was an American artist, engineer, amateur astronomer and explorer. He was a pioneer in the field of “cutaway illustration" and is sometimes referred to as the "founder" or one of the "founders" of amateur telescope making."-Biography:Russell W...
in Springfield, Vermont in August 12, 1920. The members of this small group decided to form a club and held their first meeting on December 7, 1923. The Stellafane clubhouse was built in 1924 on a 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) plot belonging to Porter on the 1270 feet (387.1 m) summit of Breezy Hill outside of town. The original 20 x 24 feet (7.3 m) clubhouse (with an 11 x 13 feet (4 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
Solar telescope
A solar telescope is a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun. Solar telescopes usually detect light with wavelengths in, or not far outside, the visible spectrum.-Professional solar telescopes:...
, and a sundial
Sundial
A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...
, on the south wall. The name Stellafane (originally suggested by Porter at the club's January 1924 meeting) comes from the Latin words stella meaning star, and fane meaning shrine which together means "Shrine to the Stars". Besides the historic Stellafane "pink clubhouse," the site includes Porter's uniquely designed Turret Telescope, a 12 inches (304.8 mm) f/17 Newtonian reflector that was completed in 1931. This telescope consists of an equatorial
Equatorial mount
An equatorial mount is a mount for instruments that follows the rotation of the sky by having one rotational axis parallel to the Earth's axis of rotation. This type of mount is used for astronomical telescopes and cameras...
ly rotated concrete dome with the telescope mounted on the outside, with the observer on the inside working in heated comfort. Stellafane is still the location where the Springfield Telescope Makers hold most of their meetings. Stellafane Observatory
Stellafane Observatory
Stellafane Observatory is an astronomical observatory built and maintained by the Springfield Telescope Makers Inc., an amateur astronomical club of about 100 members. The club was founded by Russell W. Porter had its first meeting on December 7, 1923...
was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1989.
The convention
New moon
In astronomical terminology, the new moon is the lunar phase that occurs when the Moon, in its monthly orbital motion around Earth, lies between Earth and the Sun, and is therefore in conjunction with the Sun as seen from Earth...
closest to the height of the Perseid meteor shower (usually early August).
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 mid 1980s have taken place on "Stellafane East," an annex to the original land, and a modest walk over Breezy Hill.Stellafane East is home to the more recent McGregor Observatory which boasts a 13" Schupmann telescope, the Flanders Pavilion dedicated in 2006, as well as other buildings on the site.
See also
- 3140 Stellafane3140 Stellafane3140 Stellafane is a main-belt asteroid discovered on January 9, 1983 by B. A. Skiff at Flagstaff .- External links :*...
, asteroid named after Stellafane - Amateur telescope makingAmateur telescope makingAmateur telescope making is the activity of building telescopes as a hobby, as opposed to being a paid professional. Amateur telescope makers build their instruments for personal enjoyment of a technical challenge, as a way to obtain an inexpensive or personally customized telescope, or as a...
- Amateur astronomyAmateur astronomyAmateur astronomy, also called backyard astronomy and stargazing, is a hobby whose participants enjoy watching the night sky , and the plethora of objects found in it, mainly with portable telescopes and binoculars...
- Stellafane Observatory National Historic LandmarkStellafane ObservatoryStellafane Observatory is an astronomical observatory built and maintained by the Springfield Telescope Makers Inc., an amateur astronomical club of about 100 members. The club was founded by Russell W. Porter had its first meeting on December 7, 1923...
- Star partyStar partyA star party is a gathering of amateur astronomers for the purpose of observing the sky. Local star parties may be one night affairs, but larger events can last up to a week or longer and attract hundreds or even thousands of participants. Many regional star parties are now held annually and are an...
Notable amateur astronomers associated with Stellafane
- Robert E. CoxRobert E. Cox-Career:Cox worked briefly at Perkin Elmer in 1939. Shortly thereafter he was inducted into the Army Air Corps and served for two years in the South Pacific as a weather specialist. After the war, Cox accepted part-time positions as photographic technician at Harvard Observatory and as staff...
- James HartnessJames HartnessJames Hartness was an American inventor; a mechanical engineer; an entrepreneur who mentored other inventors to develop their machine tool products and create a thriving industrial center in southeastern Vermont; an amateur astronomer who fostered the construction of telescopes by amateurs in his...
- Walter Scott HoustonWalter Scott HoustonWalter Scott Houston was an American popularizer of amateur astronomy. He wrote the "Deep-Sky Wonders" column in Sky and Telescope magazine from 1946 to 1993.-Biography:...
, long time presenter of the Saturday evening "Shadowgram" talk - Albert Graham IngallsAlbert Graham IngallsAlbert Graham Ingalls was an American scientific editor and amateur astronomer. Through his columns in Scientific American, including "The Amateur Scientist", and his three-volume series Amateur Telescope Making, Ingalls exerted a great influence on amateur astronomy and amateur telescope making...
, Scientific AmericanScientific AmericanScientific American is a popular science magazine. It is notable for its long history of presenting science monthly to an educated but not necessarily scientific public, through its careful attention to the clarity of its text as well as the quality of its specially commissioned color graphics...
editor who wrote stories about Russell W. Porter and the Springfield Telescope Makers - John M. PierceJohn M. PierceJohn M. Pierce was an American teacher and amateur astronomer.Pierce worked with Russell W. Porter to organize Stellafane, the observatory near Springfield, Vermont where amateur telescope makers still meet annually for the Stellafane convention...
, early founding member - Russell W. PorterRussell W. PorterRussell Williams Porter was an American artist, engineer, amateur astronomer and explorer. He was a pioneer in the field of “cutaway illustration" and is sometimes referred to as the "founder" or one of the "founders" of amateur telescope making."-Biography:Russell W...
, founder of the Springfield Telescope Makers
External links
Stellafane observatory
- Stellafane clubhouse history
- The Porter Turret Telescope: How It Works
- The Stellafane National Historic Monument
Stellafane convention