Sky & Telescope August 1999 [antikvár]

A?LJspectrum"Too Much!//In the U.S. vernacular, that expression means something really grand. And so it was on May 16th at the Northeast Astronomy Forum too much stuff to taice in fully. 1 should have anticipated a high-octane experience simply because the Forum is close to the Big Apple, where everyone fritters away energy like a crazed O star.A year ago 1 asked for your opinions about what makes a great megameeting. The response was dismal, only a few dozen rephes. So now I'm forced to give my personal opinion. But, hey, that's what Spectrum is all about!A great roster of speakers is one key. The Forum certainly had that: Richard Berry, Doug Duncan, Todd Gross, Joe Rao, and, especially, Carolyn Shoemaker. Yes, 1 spoke too. (Carolyn, our beloved Queen of the Night, and 1 were shot after giving our talks.)For a nighttime event clear, dark skies are also a must.But most of all, I think success walks hand in hand with venders. 1 was especially impressed watching folks wait anxiously in a long "while-they-last" line to buy cosmetically imperfect Tele Vue equipment offered at cut-rate prices. (Many amateurs must have paid for their trip through discounts offered by the three dozen venders present.) But in addition to getting great deals, folks want to see, touch, and play with products. Here in the Northeast the Forum is unique, and that's why it has grown like mad from 250 attendees in 1992 to 1,200 this year.Contrast that to Stellafane's static attendance. I think its organizers are making a mistake by following their vender-prohibition tradition. It's the only megameeting to have such a policy. (1 vividly remember during my maiden visit watching some "back-of-the-van" entrepreneur Ijeing closed down for selling T-shirts and other trinkets.)This Vermont icon was born in an era when you had to be rich or a craftsman to own a telescope there were no mass-market products. But times have changed, and so should out-of-date philosophies. Stellafane's mission of technology transfer should, like that of other megameetings, incorporate the promotion of product awareness. Is there any better way to educate newcomers than to have them stand around the products they will purchase, ask questions, and hear comments fi-om seasoned amateurs? Commercial products are growing our hobby today as Stellafane's telescope-making evangelism did long ago.P.S. I'll use these last few lines for an unabashed advert for my article (page 30) that describes the role small-telescope users will play when the next supernova explodes nearby. To find this star, we'll need a worldwide network of observers who can respond quickly. S&T's new AstroAlert news service will make sure this happens; check out the announcement on page 34.8 August 1999 | Sky & Telcscope