Today was the first day of two days of NEAF, the North East Astronomy Forum, which I have been going to for years. It bagan back in 1991 and has morphed into the largest astronomy show on the east coast. If there is a telescope that you are interested in, or eyepieces for filters or books or telescope mounts or binoculars and every other thing you can imagine, this is the place to come to see the actual item before you decide to buy it. This is a panorama from the balcony of the Field House at Rockland Community College where the exhibits are. There are also presentations by speakers - this year a lot of astronauts from the US Space program as well as managers and journalists talking. CLICK ON THIS PANORAMA TO SEE IT MUCH LARGER.
I love this photograph of two guys, and telescopes in the background pointing in every direction! These are mostly Unitron telesopes which were really popular back in the 1950's to about 1975, and they were known for their high quality and beautiful construction,. They were manufactured in Japan for the American company.
Here is a portrait of me with Russell Porter, of Vermont who was the father of the Amateur Telescope Makers movement that started with a class of 14 men and one woman in Springfield, Vermont, in 1920. Oh, that's just a cardboard cutout of Mr. Porter. He was not at the event.
Here are seven pair of giant binoculars on tripods lined up for all to see. It must be magnificent to study the night sky with binoculars this large when you are in an area that is away from all the light pollution.
5 comments:
The second photo really shows how large these telescopes are in comparison to the 2 men. Looks like you really enjoyed your day. Great photos. Joan
Love the photo with the cardboard cutout of Russell Porter :-) Betsey
A day in the life of a kid in a toy store.
I love Ken's comment. So true. Joan
I do look forward to this event every year. But you are not going to believe this - I have seen most of the same stuff every year I have come here. There are, of course some new devices and these days they can be spectacular. But the truth is, that the best part of this event is seeing friends I only see once a year here, or at The Antique Telescope Society, or Stellafane in Vermont, and most of the day is spent stopping and having nice conversations with all of these friends! It was a wonderful day!
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