Telescope Competition at the Clubhouse
This year’s convention is dedicated to:
All those devoted to preserving and reclaiming dark skies.
To ensure a future where the Milky Way is visible to all.
Post-Convention Information:
2026 Convention Summary
We celebrated the 100th Anniversary of the Stellafane Convention in style with many special events and 3 nights of great observing! The optical competition was completed on Friday night. The prior week we opened the new Springfield History and Telescope Making Museum in downtown Springfield with our partners from the Springfield Art and Historical Society. Friday evening we held a premiere of the documentary film Stellafane and Beyond. Over the past year we cut down many trees widening the south observing field below the McGregor Observatory. Ruskin Hartley, CEO of Darksky International gave the keynote talk under starry skies int he amphitheater. We have received many comments about this being 'the best convention ever'.
2026 Raffle Donors
The Springfield Telescope Makers are grateful to the many companies and individuals who contributed to the Adult, Children's and Hartness House raffles. You generosity and support is very much appreciated.
2026 Telescope Competition
2026 Photo Gallery
Section being prepared.
Every year, we have a range of expert speakers. This year's theme is Dark Skies. Join us to hear from experts in the field, and attend workshops on mirror-making, telescope building, and much more! For more advanced attendees, attend the off-site workshop on advanced topics at the Hartness House on Thursday for an additional fee.
Stellafane is known as the "Birthplace of Amateur Telescope Making," and creating mirrors and scopes remains a core aspect of the convention and organization. Enter your handmade telescope into the annual Telescope Competition and be inspired while walking through the fields of scopes set up around the historic Stellafane Clubhouse.
New & Featured Events
Stellafane & Beyond Film Premier
Join us for the premiere of a feature film that transports its audience from a renowned astronomy shrine into the farthest reaches of space inspired by the art and history of amateur telescope making. Friday, August 14 5:00 pm at 100 River Street in Springfield. Buy tickets with your Convention Admission.
Hartness House Workshop
Held the Thursday before Convention, the Workshop offers a broad spectrum of advanced individual talks. The Day will be full of a high-quality presentations on a variety of astronomical subjects, with the opportunities to mingle with the speakers and other attendees at the historic Hartness House Inn.
New & Featured Events
Keynote Speaker
Russell Porter Art Show
The Gallery at the Vault in downtown Springfield is hosting an exhibit of artwork created by Stellafane founder Russell Porter from the collections of the Springfield Telescope Makers and the Springfield Art and Historic Society.
Ruskin Hartley, Executive Director of Dark Sky International, will speak on the accomplishments and challenges of protecting the night sky - a critical resource for astronomy, nature, and the environment.
Stellafane & Beyond Film Premier
Russell Porter Art Show
The Gallery at the Vault in downtown Springfield is hosting an exhibit of artwork created by Stellafane founder Russell Porter from the collections of the Springfield Telescope Makers and the Springfield Art and Historic Society.
Join us for the premiere of a feature film that transports its audience from a renowned astronomy shrine into the farthest reaches of space inspired by the art and history of amateur telescope making. Friday, August 14 5:00 pm at 100 River Street in Springfield.
Buy tickets with your Convention Admission.
STM Membership Information Session
Russell Porter Art Show
The Gallery at the Vault in downtown Springfield is hosting an exhibit of artwork created by Stellafane founder Russell Porter from the collections of the Springfield Telescope Makers and the Springfield Art and Historic Society.
Are you interested in becoming a member of the Springfield Telescope Makers? This information session will explain this process, and what we expect from members.
Friday 3:30pm & Saturday 2:00pm in the clubhouse
Hartness House Workshop
Russell Porter Art Show
The Gallery at the Vault in downtown Springfield is hosting an exhibit of artwork created by Stellafane founder Russell Porter from the collections of the Springfield Telescope Makers and the Springfield Art and Historic Society.
Held the Thursday before Convention, the Workshop offers a broad spectrum of advanced individual talks. The Day will be full of a high-quality presentations on a variety of astronomical subjects, with the opportunities to mingle with the speakers and other attendees at the historic Hartness House Inn.
Land Use Hike Then & Now
Russell Porter Art Show
The Gallery at the Vault in downtown Springfield is hosting an exhibit of artwork created by Stellafane founder Russell Porter from the collections of the Springfield Telescope Makers and the Springfield Art and Historic Society.
A guided hike around Stellafane East, probably to some locations you have not been to, and we will describe how these ~80 acres have been used from the mid-1800's to current use. If you were on our geology hike last year, this is a companion hike with a different focus.
Russell Porter Art Show
Russell Porter Art Show
The Gallery at the Vault in downtown Springfield is hosting an exhibit of artwork created by Stellafane founder Russell Porter from the collections of the Springfield Telescope Makers and the Springfield Art and Historic Society.
The Gallery at the Vault in downtown Springfield is hosting an exhibit of artwork created by Stellafane founder Russell Porter from the collections of the Springfield Telescope Makers and the Springfield Art and Historic Society.
Every year in the dark of a midsummer new Moon, amateur astronomers and telescope makers travel great distances to gather on a beautiful rural hilltop in Springfield, Vermont. This is The Stellafane Convention, the oldest annual gathering of night-sky enthusiasts, and one of the largest. It has been hosted here at the birthplace of American amateur telescope making by the Springfield Telescope Makers since 1926.
Convention Basics
The dark skies of rural Vermont provide fine observing conditions. All are encouraged to bring and use their telescopes, home-built or commercial. There is plenty of observing available even without your own scope when on Convention grounds, with multiple solar observing opportunities during daylight hours, and at night, a field of telescopes waiting to be judged (most owners will let you take a peek), as well as 3 permanent observatories and some of the darkest skies in the country.
To many, the telescope competition is the heart and soul of The Stellafane Convention. Expert optical and mechanical judges pick the best amateur-built telescopes in several categories, from basic small Newtonians to more esoteric compound telescopes. Special awards are also made for design innovations. Winning at Stellafane is a real honor. Quite aside from awards, the competition is a rare chance for amateurs to compare notes, for prospective telescope makers to examine the designs of others before undertaking such a project, and for all to enjoy the ingenuity of these talented instument builders
Ruskin Hartley, Executive Director of Dark Sky International, will speak on the accomplishments and challenges of protecting the night sky - a critical resource for astronomy, nature, and the environment at the Saturday Evening Program.
“Stellafane” means Shrine to the Stars. Time has also made it a shrine to the history of American astronomy. People who come here feel a rare connection to that history, and to each other in our common astronomical pursuit. Longstanding friendships are nurtured here. Many folks return year after year to see friends they encounter nowhere else!
The Springfield Telescope Makers (a nonprofit organization) holds a fundraising raffle at the Convention, with the drawing held before the Saturday evening keynote address. The donated prizes typically include up to $10,000 worth of equipment and accessories relating to amateur astronomy, dark skies, Stellafane, and much more! This event is a highlight for many longtime convention goers, and you have great odds of going home with some new loot!
We offer on-site camping for tents and RVs. Camping is primitive with minimal amenities and no RV hookups; however, Port-a-potties are provided, and hot meals are available from a catered food tent.
For those who don't feel like camping, there are a number of lodging options in the surrounding towns, including charming Vermont inns and conventional hotels such as Best Western.
The Edgar May Health & Recreation Center, conveniently located in Springfield has showers available to non-members on a walk-in basis. It is a clean and friendly facility, just a 10 minute drive from Stellafane, towards the highway.
Important information:
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Showers cost $5.00 | Towel rentals are $3.00
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140 Clinton St, Springfield, VT 05156 | Call: (802) 885-2568
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Mon-Thu 5:30 am-9:00 pm; Fri 5:30am-8:00pm;
Sat: 7:00 am-4:00 pm; Sun 8:00 am-4:00 pm
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