Stellafane facts for kids

The Stellafane Observatory is a special place in Springfield, Vermont. It's where people go to look at the stars and learn about telescopes. It was started in 1920 by a man named Russell W. Porter.

The main building, called the Pink Clubhouse, was built in 1923. The name Stellafane means "Shrine to the Stars" in Latin. It was first used for the clubhouse. Now, it refers to all the land and buildings on Breezy Hill. This hill is west of downtown Springfield.

Stellafane is also famous for its annual Stellafane Convention. This is a big meeting for people who love making telescopes and watching the stars. It's the longest-running event of its kind in the United States. The clubhouse and observatory are so important that they became a National Historic Landmark in 1989. This shows how much they helped make astronomy popular.

History of Stellafane

Russell Porter was born in Springfield in 1871. In 1919, he came back to his hometown. He started building telescopes using tools and help from local factories.

The Springfield Telescope Makers Club began from a class Porter taught. This class, which started on August 12, 1920, showed people how to make their own telescopes.

The Pink Clubhouse

View of the original pink Clubhouse at the Stellafane Observatory (2021).

On December 7, 1923, the club members had their first meeting. They decided to build a clubhouse on a 3.5-acre plot of land. This land belonged to Porter on Breezy Hill, which is about 1,270 feet high.

The first clubhouse was 20 by 24 feet. An extra section was added in 1926. It had a meeting room, a kitchen, a workshop, and bunk beds upstairs. The building also included special telescopes. These were a polar Cassegrain telescope, a transit telescope, and a solar telescope. There was even a sundial on the south wall.

Stellafane West: The Original Site

The original Stellafane site has more than just the historic "pink clubhouse." It also has Porter's unique Turret Telescope. This is a 12-inch Newtonian reflector telescope built in 1930. It has a special design where the telescope is outside a rotating concrete dome. The person observing stays inside, warm and comfortable.

In 2017, the Simoni Spectrohelioscope Solar Observatory was built nearby. It's named after Andrew E. Simoni, who attended the convention for many years. Stellafane West is still where the Springfield Telescope Makers hold most of their meetings. They also have telescope-making competitions here.

Stellafane East: The Annex

Most of the Stellafane Convention activities moved to Stellafane East in the 1980s. This is an extra piece of land about a quarter-mile from the original site.

Stellafane East has several newer buildings. These include the McGregor Observatory, built between 1986 and 1991. It has a 13-inch Schupmann telescope. There's also the Breuning Domed Observatory, built in the early 2000s. The Flanders Pavilion, built in 2005, is named after Ernest Flanders, a club founder.

The site also has an "Amphitheater" for presentations. The "Bunkhouse" holds radio equipment. More than 10 acres at Stellafane East are used for camping. People can set up tents, campers, and RVs during the convention.

The Stellafane Convention

The Stellafane Convention happens every year on Breezy Hill. Russell Porter and the Springfield Telescope Makers started it in 1926. About 20 amateur telescope makers came to compare their telescopes and share ideas.

Now, thousands of amateur telescope makers from all over the world attend. They share new ideas, join competitions, and enjoy looking at the night sky. The convention usually takes place in early August. It's held on the weekend of the new moon closest to the peak of the Perseid meteor shower.

The convention has been held almost every summer since 1926. The only times it was skipped were:

• 1949–1953, after Russell W. Porter passed away.
• 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many famous people in astronomy have attended the convention. These include astronaut Alan Bean, comet discoverer David H. Levy, and Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered Pluto.

Images for kids

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  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

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  View of the Simoni Spectrohelioscope building at Stellafane West

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  The McGregor Observatory building at Stellafane East

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  The Stellafane logo on the cornerstone of the McGregor Observatory

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  View of the Breuning Domed Observatory at the 2021 Stellafane Convention

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  View of the Flanders Pavilion at the 2021 Stellafane Convention

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  Stellafane presentation at the hillside amphitheater in 1999

See also

In Spanish: Stellafane para niños