Stellafane

Stellafane Observatory
Alternative namesSpringfield Telescope Makers
OrganizationSpringfield Telescope Makers
LocationSpringfield, Windsor County, Vermont
Coordinates43°16′42″N 72°31′10″W / 43.278278°N 72.519475°W / 43.278278; -72.519475
Altitude1,290 feet (390 m)
WeatherVariable weather – clear dark night skies
EstablishedAugust 12, 1920 (1920-08-12)
Stellafane Observatory
LocationBreezy Hill,
Springfield, Vermont
Area3.5 acres (1.4 ha)
Built1923 (1923), 1930
NRHP reference No.77000107
Significant dates
Added to NRHP7 November 1977
Designated NHL20 December 1989
Websitehttps://www.stellafane.org
Location of Stellafane Observatory
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The Stellafane Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Springfield, Vermont, founded in 1920 by Russell W. Porter. The Pink Clubhouse was built in 1923 at the site by the Springfield Telescope Makers. The name Stellafane, suggested by Porter at the club's December 1923 meeting, is derived from the Latin words stella and fanum meaning "Shrine to the Stars", and originally referred specifically to the clubhouse, but has since come to refer to all of the club's land and buildings on the summit of Breezy Hill, west of downtown Springfield.

The Stellafane Convention, a gathering of amateur telescope makers and amateur astronomers is the longest running astronomical convention in the United States, having been held nearly every year at the location since 1926. The clubhouse and observatory became listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, and became a National Historic Landmark in 1989, in recognition of the club's pioneering role in the popularization of astronomy and the amateur construction of telescopes.