As we pack for beautiful nights at the Connecticut Star Party #CSP35 this weekend, we heard we lost a friend from #Stellafane. Dennis Cassia, the cigar chewing smiling bald guy that met everyone at the gates passed this morning. Love to Kim and his family at this difficult time from all of us at WAS
Group of people gathered outdoors near observatory dome and a pink club house at Stellafane.
TONIGHT at 8PM!
Join us in the Westport Observatory Classroom for Tales from the Pink Clubhouse: Bob Meadows’ 2025 Stellafane Report! No clouds, no scopes—just great stories from Stellafane!
🔗 was-ct.org/events/th...
#WestportObservatory #Stellafane #AstronomyTalk #StarPartyIndoors
Learn about "Astronomy without Light" from the official recording of my keynote at the 2025 #Stellafane Convention!
youtube.com/watch
Breezy Hill with the Porter Observatory in the foreground and the pink Stellafane clubhouse in the background at the top of the hill.
The Porter Observatory with the mirror in position and the sun overhead.
The focusing mirror sits in place at the end of a long boom arm and concentrates the sun’s rays into the main observatory to form an image.
A view of the sun through a solar telescope. Sunspots are visible, each as large as or larger than the Earth.
Some scenes from Breezy Hill at the #Stellafane Convention regarding the use of the beautiful Porter Observatory for solar observing in the daytime. Our sun is the first star in our lives, and being able to see the features of its outer surface […]
[Original post on mastodon.cooleysekula.net]
A person talking to an audience in front of a projected slide.
A person lecturing in an outdoor amphitheatre with slides projected on a large screen
A person interacts with an audience in an outdoor amphitheatre.
I had a TRASNFORMATIVE time at the #Stellafane Convention these past few days. I am back in #Sudbury now but my heart remains with the passionate community of telescope makers and astronomers I met and learned from.
I was honoured to give the […]
[Original post on mastodon.cooleysekula.net]
Shout out to @WestportObservatory at #Stellafane: I am having a wonderful time learning about the Westport Astronomical Society and the observing facilities they manage and support. So happy to be able to connect with all of you IRL instead of just on the #fediverse!
Tunnels below the house lead to private rooms for Hartness’s work.
Astronomy equipment in a subterranean museum
Hartness’s custom designed and built telescope
The tunnels exit on the back side of the property, below ground level.
We had a chance to tour the Hartness House museum during lunch yesterday. It’s housed in the tunnels under the mansion/inn, built by Hartness (former governor of VT and a talented engineer and astronomer). The tunnels were home to a workshop and […]
[Original post on mastodon.cooleysekula.net]
I was very honoured to deliver the keynote talk at the HHW last night. The questions afterward were incredible, and @jodi and I were humbled when a young member of the audience asked us to sign his copy of our dark matter textbook that he brought with him to the talk.
We went out after the […]
It has been an incredible time so far with the community of telescope makers at this year’s Stellafane Convention, and the convention is just starting today!
Yesterday was the Hartness House Workshop, a chance to engage with many people about their passion for astronomy and to learn from […]
I am very excited to be participating in the annual #Stellafane Convention in Springfield, VT. We arrived at the Hartness House last night, site of the Thursday Hartness House Workshop. I will deliver a lecture on doing supernova science in […]
[Original post on mastodon.cooleysekula.net]
I saw it for the first time at #Stellafane and it changed my life!
