Telescopes star at 78th Stellafane Convention

Claudio Veliz of the Southern Vermont Astronomy Group, based in Chester, attended this year’s annual Stellafane Convention in Springfield, the 78th meeting of Amateur Telescope Makers. The event attracts amateur telescope and lens makers from all over the world. This year’s convention was held from Thursday, Aug. 8 through Sunday, Aug. 11. Organizers said that despite the downpour on Thursday and overcast weather Friday, night viewing on Friday and Saturday proved brilliant. Click any photo to launch gallery.

Crowds gather on Saturday morning Aug. 10 to view competition telescopes, many created from scratch. This was the third day of the Stellafane Convention of telescope makers on Breezy Hill in Springfield. It’s likely the largest gathering of amateur telescope makers in the world. This year’s convention was held from Thursday, Aug. 8 through Sunday, Aug. 11.//Photos by Claudio Veliz

One attendee checks out one of the award winning telescopes, recognized for its mechanical and optical abilities.

This photo was taken around 9:30 p.m. from the top of the observatory hill looking south.

Skywriter Claudio Veliz uses an LED flashlight and an extremely slow shutterspeed to create this image.