Published by the Astronomical League Vol. 72, No. 1 December 2019 EXOPLANET NEWS AN ASTRONOMICAL VOYAGE TO CHILE GRAVITATIONAL LENSES Contents Get Off the Beaten Path Join a Astronomy Tour African Stargazing Safari Join astronomer Stephen James July 17–23, 2020 O’Meara in wildlife-rich Botswana for evening stargazing and daytime safari drives at three luxury field camps. Only 16 spaces available! Optional extension to Victoria Falls. skyandtelescope.com/botswana2020 S&T’s 2020 solar eclipse cruise offers 2 2020 Eclipse Cruise: Chile, Argentina, minutes, 7 seconds of totality off the and Antarctica coast of Argentina and much more: Nov. 27–Dec. 19, 2020 Chilean fjords and glaciers, the legendary Drake Passage, and four days amid Antarctica’s waters and icebergs. skyandtelescope.com/chile2020 Total Solar Eclipse in Patagonia December 9–18, 2020 Come along with Sky & Telescope to view this celestial spectacle in the lakes region of southern Argentina. Experience breathtaking vistas of the lush landscape by day — and the southern sky’s incomparable stars by night. Optional visit to the world-famous Iguazú Falls. skyandtelescope.com/argentina2020 Astronomy Across Italy May, 2021 As you travel in comfort from Rome to Florence, Pisa, and Pad- ua, visit some of the country’s great astronomical sites: the Vat- ican Observatory, the Galileo Museum, Arcetri Observatory, and lots more. Enjoy fine food, hotels, and other classic Italian treats. Extensions in Rome and Venice available.Moved to May 2021 — skyandtelescope.com/italy2020 new dates coming soon! See all S&T tours at skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-travel Contents 2020Amateur Shrine to the Stars Fast Facts CalendarStellafane t, a quiet revolution A century ago in Springfield, Vermon in astronomy took place. Led by Russell W. Porter, a STELLAFANE IS BORN ered a class in small group of hobbyists refined and promoted amateur In 1920, Russell Porter (above left) off n Springfield, telescope making into a worldwide phenomenon. Those telescope making to a group of 16 peopleer was idetermined first Springfield Telescope Makers held a convention Vermont. Primarily self-taught, Porthers could build their STELLAFANE CONVENTION to share what he had learned so ot n commercial ones were rare at their hilltop clubhouse, Stellafane (“Shrine to the zed by: Springfield Telescope own telescopes at a time whe Organi rticipants ground their own Stars”). The annual Stellafane convention Makers and prohibitively expensive. Pa constructed mounts. The has become the oldest amateur Location: Breezy Hill, Springfield, VT mirrors, built their tubes, and 1926 to meet, eventually becoming First Convention: July 3-4, group grew and continued astronomy gathering e Makers. They built a clubhouse Attendance: 1926: ~ 30; 2019: ~900 the Springfield Telescop in the world. petition: ot of land donated by Porter, Amateur Telescope Com on Breezy Hill on a small pl Today, various optical and ~20 awards in and held their first convention (above right)making, in 1926. but gories celebrates amateur telescope mechanical cate Stellafane still onomy is . Stellafane.org 4 Website: anyone with an interest in telescopes and astr August 13-16 President’s Corner 2020 Convention Date: encouraged to attend. vv 4 . From the New Editor A DIFFERENT KIND OF ATM Stellafane After nearly a century, the heart and soul of escope makers (ATMs) is still the creativity and skill of amateur tel nical handiwork and compete each THE ONLY THING CONSTANT... who display their optical and mechas. Here is a sampling of the variety of ident than on the year for awards in numerous categorie dmired by throngs of Stellafaners. Nowhere are Stellafane’s traditions more pink ev clubhouse and the telescopes built by innovative ATMs and a pmann medial refractor; 5 . summit of Breezy Hill, where the iconic ed, for close Clockwise from top right: a 6-inch f/12 Schu -inch f/15 Alvan Clark refractor replica; Porter Turret Telescope have stood, nearly unchangtage point a 12.5-inch f/4.5 Newtonian-Dobsonian; a 6 . These views, taken from the same van f/4.7 Newtonian-Dobsonian shaped like Dues Notice to a century 13), illustrate a fully-machined Catadioptric; a 10-inch nch f/12 but separated in time by six decades (1954 and 20 a Tardis; a 12.5-inch f/2.8 Newtonian Dobsonian; an 8-i the timeless appeal of amateur telescope making. Newtonian on a hybrid equatorial mount. 5 . September 2020 S M T W T F S In 1989, the original 1 2 3 4 5 RTMC Astro Expo Closes Shop July 2020 7 8 9 10 11 12 Stellafane site at 6 ...IS CHANGE 17 18 19 W T F S 13 14 15 16 S M T the summit of Breezy 24 25 26 1 2 3 4 20 21 22 23 Stellafane is linked to the past, but not 11 28 29 30 5 6 7 8 9 10 Hill was designated 27 18 chained to it. In the 1980s, 40 acres 12 13 14 15 16 17 25 a National Historic were purchased for “Stellafane East,” a 19 20 21 22 23 24 August 2020 28 29 30 31 Landmark. short walk from the clubhouse. There, 26 27 Saturday the McGregor observatory (above left) Thursday Friday housing a 13” Schupmann refractor, Wednesday Jupiter 1.5° no rth of Moon Tuesday ide was dedicated in 1995. In 2006, a 10” Sunday Monday August Sky Gu 1 Sun’s glare most of this month. • Mercury is lost in the Cassegrain telescope was added to in the southeastern sky as • Jupiter and Saturn can be seen midnight. The . the Breuning Observatory there (above lls, and are visible in the south aroundst nd 5 y night fa /2 . n the evening of the 1 middle). In 2016, the Simoni Observator Moon is below Jupiter o h at and is visible high in the sout • Mars rises around midnight th. New AL Secretary and its spectrohelioscope were dedicated se by on the morning of the 9 dawn. The Moon is clo itchell born tern sky before sunrise. Look 1818: Maria M near the clubhouse (above right). eas 1967: Lunar Orbiter V launched • Venus is easy to see in the duction ends 1968: Saturn V pro test for a beautiful pairing with a crescent Moon on the morning 1973: First X-24B lifting body glide of the 15th, just to the left of the bright stars of Orion. RUSSELL W. PORTER Neptune 4° north of Moon 8 6 7 Born in Full Moon 11:59 AM ET 5 Springfield, Mercury 7° south of Pollux 4 Pluto 1.1° north of Moon 3 Vermont in Saturn 2° north of Moon 2 1877, Russell W. PorterSave was 25% neer-Venus 2 launched an artist, 1978: Pio aunched 1989: Hipparcos observatory l aunched; first full-day nched a launched architect, 1961: Vostok 2 l tov 1959: Explorer 6 lau 1989: STS-28 Columbi ace mission; Gherman Ti 7 launched pacecraft launched human sp 1969: Zond ration 2001: Genesis s engineer, polar 1930: Neil Armstrong born eep in space Viking 1 orbiter ceases ope 118 Endeavour launched es sixth astronaut test first person to sl oratory rover 1980: ched 2007: STS- . explorer, 1967: NASA announc 1966: Final M2-F1 glide 2012: Mars Science Lab 1997: STS-85 Discovery laun 6 7 flies by Mars ed class 1969: Mariner Curiosity lands on Mars and amateur spacecraft launch iane 3 launched ft launched Venus 4° south of Moon Falcon 2004: MESSENGER 1984: First Ar ed 2011: Juno spacecra ry PAGE 8 r. 1971: Apollo 15 lunar module to Mercury : Phoenix Mars Lander launch Uranus stationa astronome liftoff r 2007 first televised lunar in-flight space shuttle repai Perseid meteor shower 15 leaves Moon in 2005: First atest elongation Call for Officer Nominations In 1923, he 1991: STS-43 Atlantis launched Venus gre 14 Last Qtr Moon 12:45 PM ET (46° W) 13 founded the Uranus 4° north of Moon Perseid meteor shower 12 Springfield Mars 0.8° north of Moon 11 Moon at apogee 10 Telescope Makers, the first club 9 dedicated to mateura telescope opularize the making, and helped p discovers Deimos, moon hobby worldwide. In the 1930s, 1877: Asaph Hall of Mars ed Porter played an instrumental role 1960: Echo 1 satellite launch $ Vostok 4 launched 1962: in the optical and mechanical 1977: HEAO-1 launched pe Shuttle Enterprise’s first glide test design of the 200” Hale Telesco ule becomes first 1977: ched 1960: Discoverer 13 caps 2005: Mars Recon. Orbiter laun on Mount Palomar. Porter died in Lunar Orbiter I launched t recovered from orbit rker Solar Probe launched 14.951966: rbit around Venus objec 2018: Pa perigee an enters o aunched Moon at Pasadena, California in 1949. stage 1990: Magell d 1962: Vostok 3 l 1965: First static test of SIV-B 2001: STS-105 Discovery launche 22 1976: Luna 24 launched 21 New Moon 10:41 PM ET 20 Mercury in super ior conjunction 18 19 6 . 16 17 ltitude record for a Full STEAM Ahead ds to discovery 1963: X-15 sets world a The Year in r eclipse lea 1868: Total sola winged craft (354,000 feet) of helium First Redstone rocket launched : Gemini V launched 24 returns soil samples from discovers Phobos, moon orn 1953: 1965 1976: Luna 1877: Asaph Hall 1646: John Flamsteed b 1960: Sputnik 5 launched 1972: OAO-3 launched Moon of Mars 1891: Milton Humason born Viking 1 launched First Atlas V rocket launched or less aunched; first ched; Svetlana 1975: 2002: Discoverer XIV l un ger 2 launched d 1960: tellite 1982: Soyuz T-7 la in space 1977: Voya f Moon 1966: Pioneer 7 launche successful U.S.