ALL ROADS, ALL WEATHER, ALL RIDERS…
Star Struck « p.27
NITTO, GRAND BOIS, CHALLENGE, ZIMBALE, IBEX, BROOKS
VERMONT’S BETTER BIKE SHOP 1184 WILLISTON RD. // SO. BURLINGTON, VT // (802) 862-2714 12h-alpineshop071410.indd 1 ew ! r N nt de geme n U na Ma
7/12/10 11:24:21 AM
Swedish & Deep Tissue Massage
REGISTER NOW! REGISTER NOW!
Open 7 days a week 10am-10:30pm Appointments available. Walk-ins welcome.
878-1223
WINOOSKI
Brad Vietje and John Davis
BURLINGTON 654-0505 865-4422
Serving Greater Burlington
39 Park St., 2nd Floor, Essex Junction
www.ccv.edu/spring www.ccv.edu/fall
16t-ccv081110.indd 1 8/6/10 10:54:53 AM
16t-seiwaspa081110.indd 1
House’s long wooden tables, is casually tacked up on the wall. Down the hill, Norm Fredrick of Claremont, N.H., was demonstrating solar projection in the Porter Turret Telescope — another daytime activity at Stellafane. He had the telescope rigged so you could see sunspots on a circle that represented the star. Storms on the sun, which are cooler than their surroundings, show up as dark marks. Fredrick was incredibly patient as he explained how the outside mirror on the 12-inch telescope relays the sun’s image inside the domed enclosure.
Stellafane’s “wise old men,” as Spirock calls them, who earned himself a permanent plaque on a boulder in the camping area named after him. I caught up with John Martin, Stellafane’s volunteer building and groundskeeper, as he was descending from a tractor outfitted with a bucket loader. The multitalented local astronomer maintains the hilltop campus. Voting “members” of the Springfield Telescope Makers can access the land, and the equipment, whenever they want. John “Hollywood” Gallagher said that 10 years ago he used to drive down from New Hampshire, observe for a couple of hours in Springfield, and
8/9/10 4:57:44 PM
Prescription Eyewear & Sunglasses 107 Church Street Burlington • 864-7146
SEVENDAYSVt.com 08.11.10-08.18.10 SEVEN DAYS
Sophisticated.
Seven DAys 2.3” x 2.72”
and
Shooting StarS generated cheerS,
8h-opticalcenter051210.indd 1
5/10/10 2:52:56 PM
Enjoy the simplicity of living in the new riverfront condos at the Cascades.
These 5+ Energy Star
rated residences offer both the convenience of condo living and finishes and amenities unrivaled in the Burlington market. With 13 different floor plans you’re sure to find one that works for you. Come see what the Cascades have to offer in the latest green building trends.
28 FEATURE
One bedroom units are available for $175,000 Two bedrooms available for under $250,000
www.cascadesvt.com
802-654-7444 • 60 Winooski Falls Way •Winooski, VT 05404 6h-Cascades061610.indd 1
lEE kRohn
Smart
spr10 ads/small
6/15/10 6:28:16 AM
as if we were all rooting for the same team at a sporting event. “I love teaching people, showing them the wonders of the universe,” he said. Probing the depths of the galaxy might sound like a solitary endeavor. But, aside from a few guys camped on the far reaches of the property — “I don’t get these skies back home. I’m selfish,” said Joe Kehoe of Massachusetts — it was just the opposite at Stellafane. I’ve never met so many sociable stargazers, all of whom were more than willing to talk to a reporter who was not from Sky & Telescope. I chatted with Wayne Hilliard of Shaftsbury, who informed me that everyone at Stellafane is nice until you shine a white light on their telescope: red headlamps are de rigueur. I heard from Walter Wheeler about his charismatic mentor, Walter “Scottie” Houston, who died in 1993. He’s one of
Turret Telescope
then get up and go to work the next day. He’s an anesthesiologist at DartmouthHitchcock Medical Center. It was the moon landing that got Gallagher hooked on astronomy. “After it was over, my little brother said, ‘OK, I’m going to bed.’ I stayed up, enthralled by the whole thing.” Although he’s less enthused about