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STELLAFANE

CONVEnTION

Schedule of Events

This Schedule is about 90% complete.

A few more talks and activities may be added.

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Porter Turret Telescope at sunset
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Hartness House Workshop

Major Events

Thursday

8:00 AM

5:00 PM

Hartness House

Dan Lorraine & Tom Spirock

Check out the Hartness House Workshop Page for more information and to register for the workshop

Large RV Permit Holders must arrive

Operating Hours

Thursday

12:00 PM

4:00 PM

Entry Gate

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Large RVs have to be pre-registered, and must arrive between Noon and 4PM on Thursday. Do not arrive early. We have large trucks making food deliveries and installing sanitation facilities before then.

Early Entry Permit Holders can arrive

Operating Hours

Thursday

3:00 PM

10:00 PM

Entry Gate

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Please do not arrive before 3:00 PM and do not park on Jordan Road. The large RV's come in before you, starting at noon. You will not be admitted before 3:00 PM, and our gate staff is busy getting the RV's safely in place.

Hands-on “Printed” Telescope Build

Telescope Making

Thursday

3:00 PM

5:30 PM

Canopy near T-shirt Sales & Mirror Grind Activity

Brian Delodder, Steve Dodson

All Ages, No experience needed

Hartness House Workshop (Dinner)

Major Events

Thursday

6:00 PM

9:00 PM

Hartness House

Dan Lorraine & Tom Spirock

Check out the Hartness House Workshop Page for more information and to register for the workshop

Star Test Hands-on Activity

Telescope Making

Thursday

8:00 PM

9:00 PM

Stellafane Clubhouse

Francis O'Reilly

Join us for a captivating one-hour class on Star Testing Astronomical Telescopes at the Stellafane Pink Clubhouse! This hands-on session will provide a unique opportunity to learn and observe the techniques of star testing, a crucial method for evaluating the optical quality of telescopes. Our experienced instructors will guide you through the process, offering live demonstrations, weather permitting. Please note that telescopes registered for the optical competition that weekend will not be tested. Don't miss this chance to enhance your astronomical knowledge and skills!

Observing Olympics

Observing

Thursday

8:30 PM

12:00 AM

Observing Fields

Eileen Myers

Dusk to Midnight or later depending on observing conditions. See the Observing Olympics Page for details and observing lists.

Porter Turret Telescope

Observing

Thursday

9:00 PM

12:00 AM

Porter Turret Telescope

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Weather Permitting - The 1930 Porter Turret Telescope is located just north of the clubhouse on Breezy Hill.

Breuning Observatory Observing

Observing

Thursday

9:30 PM

12:00 AM

Breuning Observatory

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Weather Permitting - The domed Breuning Observatory is located just south of and downhill from the McGregor Observatory.

McGregor Observatory

Observing

Thursday

9:30 PM

12:00 AM

McGregor Observatory

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Weather Permitting - The McGregor Observatory, home of the 13-inch Schupmann Refractor, is located on a hilltop in the northwest corner of Stellafane East.

Registration Gate Open

Operating Hours

Friday

8:00 AM

10:00 PM

Entry Gate

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Stellafane Treasure Hunt

Other Activities

Friday

8:00 AM

6:00 PM

All over the grounds

Self-Guided

Start at the pink table set up outside the Pavilion, at the bottom of the road past the Food Tent. Congrats, you have already found the first location! Pick up your passport and read the first clue. It's fun! And a great way to learn more about Stellafane, so stretch your legs and shake some sillies out. Don't despair, if you get tired you can take the bus for a bit.

Cook Spectrohelioscope Solar Observing

Observing

Friday

9:00 AM

4:00 PM

Simoni Observatory

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Weather Permitting - The circa 1930 Cook Spectrohelioscope will be observing solar prominences and sunspots in hydrogen-alpha light. The Simoni Observatory is northwest of the Stellafane Clubhouse on Breezy Hill.

Fun with Lenses, Mirrors, Telescopes

Youth Events

Friday

9:00 AM

1:00 PM

Canopy near T-shirt Sales & Mirror Grind Activity

Steve Dodson, Peter Bealo

Middle School Age and Younger

Mount Ephraim Hike

Other Activities

Friday

9:00 AM

12:00 PM

Meet North Side of Food Tent

Katie Shusdock

Walk in Russell Porter's footsteps and start your Stellafane Convention with a little Stellafane lore and an easy hike to the summit of nearby Mount Ephraim. Stellafane members have been enjoying this hike for over one hundred years. A beautiful long-distance view of the McGregor Observatory and the Stellafane Convention, and a photo op at the summit next to the cairn monument are highlights of the trip. The round-trip distance is 4.3 miles, with an elevation gain of 671 feet. Dress for trail hiking with proper footwear and take precautions for ticks. If you need water and snacks for the hike they can be purchased from our food vendor. You can ask for the special Stellafane Hike Snack Bag. Meet your hike leader, Katie, at the Food Tent prior to 9:00am so the hike can start on time.

Porter Turret Telescope Solar Observing

Observing

Friday

9:00 AM

6:00 PM

Porter Turret Telescope

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Weather Permitting - The 1930 Porter Turret Telescope is located just north of the clubhouse on Breezy Hill.

Telescope Making Demo Hours

Telescope Making

Friday

10:00 AM

4:00 PM

Tent by T-Shirt Sales

Bob Trzcinski

See the individual timeslot entries on the full schedule for the topic(s) demonstrated.

Telescope Making Demo.

Telescope Making

Friday

10:00 AM

10:30AM

Tent by T-Shirt Sales

Rick Hunter

Intro & Grinding

Try it Yourself! Hands on Grinding

Telescope Making

Friday

10:00 AM

11:00 AM

Small Tent by T-Shirt Sales

Pat Quinn

Give mirror grinding a try!

Meteorites and the Early Solar System

All Level Talks

Friday

11:00 AM

12:00 PM

Flanders Pavilion

Patrick Leverone

You know about stars, nebulae, and galaxies, but what about the rocks that tell our solar system’s early history? In this presentation, learn about meteorites, where they come from, what we have learned from these elusive space rocks, and how scientists study them. You can view different types of meteorites from the Maine Mineral & Gem Museum up close and even hold pieces of the Moon and Mars!

Telescope Making Demo

Telescope Making

Friday

11:00AM

11:30AM

Tent by T-Shirt Sales

Junie Esslinger

Making Dental Stone Tools

Telescope Making Demo

Telescope Making

Friday

11:30AM

12:00pm

Tent by T-Shirt Sales

Phil Rounsville

Making Pitch Laps

Solar System Walk

Beginner Talks

Friday

12:30 PM

1:30 PM

Meet at M44 (Green Shed) near Clubhouse

Kaitlynn Goulette

To illustrate the vast size of outer space, the Springfield Telescope Makers have constructed a scale model of the solar system, based on the Sun being 12 inches in diameter. The Solar System walk can be taken on your own at any time during the Convention. However, a guided walk is available Friday and Saturday when a docent will provide additional information about the “Solar System Walk” and each particular planet. The walk takes approximately ¾ of an hour if you walk all the way to the planet Neptune, with a total distance of 3,232 feet or a little over ½ of a mile.

Clubhouse Treasure Hunt for Children

Youth Events

Friday

1:00 PM

4:00 PM

Clubhouse

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Age 5-16 Drop in at any scheduled time to pick up your Clubhouse Treasure Hunt list from the Telescope Competition Registrar in the Clubhouse. Two lists will be available, one for ages 5-7 years old, and another for ages 8-16 years. Hunt in the Clubhouse for the items on the list at your own pace and return your completed Treasure Hunt list to the Telescope Competition Registrar for a small prize! Saturday Bonus - the Mechanical portion of the Telescope Competition will be occurring at the Clubhouse on Saturday at the same time! The judges will close the Clubhouse for deliberations during the Mechanical Competition, but it will most likely be open during the times scheduled for the Treasure Hunt.

Dynamic Duos

Intermediate

Friday

1:00 PM

2:00 PM

Flanders Pavilion

Al Takeda

Astroimagers are always striving to get that one great celestial image. But, why not expand our view and take two objects at the same time. Al Takeda will explore the realm of taking two different objects in the same field of view. He will show us some images of near and far objects and photos of pairings that may never happen again. Al will talk about how to frame the objects, and what equipment, and lenses to use. He will also describe each of the celestial targets. Al will demonstrate some of these imaging techniques in real time during the daytime from 3:00pm to 4:00pm on Friday only. The location will be next to the Breuning Observatory.

We no longer provide printed schedules. There will be large schedule posters at all major buildings. You may want to download schedules to your device, or print them at home.

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Pop-up Exhibits at various times near the T-shirt Sales and Mirror Making Demo:

  • American Precision Museum (Windsor, VT)

  • DarkSky Vermont (Local chapter of DarkSky International)

  • AAVSO - American Association of Variable Star Observers)

  • RVTC Drone & Robotics Team

  • NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador

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Sunday: If you are camping at Stellafane, please clean up around your site and deposit trash in the dumpsters in the food area on your way out. Pickup Observing Olympics pins 10:30 to 11:30 hillside below the McGregor. You can also visit our new Stellafane Museum downtown on your way to the Interstate.

The Compact Schedules only list Talks, Workshops, Demoes and Activities

omitting many items listed in the full schedules, and focus on daytime items.

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