Stellafane Vt [portable] -

So, he did what any tinkerer would do: He built his own.

This is —Latin for "Shrine to the Stars"—and for nearly a century, it has been the Vatican of amateur telescope making. The Birthplace of a Hobby To understand Stellafane, you have to go back to the 1920s. A young man named Russell W. Porter—an Arctic explorer, artist, and eccentric genius—settled in Springfield. Porter was obsessed with the stars, but he was frustrated. Telescopes were too expensive for the average person. stellafane vt

Porter taught local machinists and clockmakers how to grind glass in their basements. The group, calling themselves the "Springfield Telescope Makers," needed a clubhouse. They chose a hilltop with a 360-degree view and built a small, quirky observatory out of concrete and scrounged materials. They dubbed the site "Stellafane." So, he did what any tinkerer would do: He built his own

At Stellafane, Vermont, that ability is still handmade. Check the official Stellafane website for exact dates, as the convention sells out camping spots months in advance. And remember: The best telescope is the one you build yourself. A young man named Russell W

That concrete clubhouse, complete with a rotating turret that looks like a medieval fortress, still stands today. It is the spiritual heart of the amateur astronomy world. Today, the Stellafane Convention (held each August) is the oldest continuously running star party in the world. But don’t expect the sterile, silent atmosphere of a professional observatory.