Astronomical Society of Greater Hartford

Meeting Minutes – September 16, 2026

The September 16, 2026 meeting of the Astronomical Society of Greater Hartford was called to
order in person at the Rocky Hill Community Center and over Zoom at 7:37 PM by President
Markiewicz. There were 18 members in attendance and no guests, 11 were in the community
center and 7 were online.

A recording of the meeting has been uploaded to the ASGH YouTube Channel here:
https://youtu.be/7QPQtWMcEhM

There was no featured speaker tonight in favor of a status update of the donated telescope project
from Talcott Mountain as began by Lucas Bruno. Chris Markiewicz tabulated all of the available
equipment. Chris & John Sillasen inventoried and evaluated the donations noting quality and
components.

Telescopes in Storage

1. Bushnell 114mm Newtonian on EQ mount (from Craig of CCSU)
2. Bausch & Lomb Criterion 4000 4″ f12 SCT (11x)
   Unit OTA Legs EP 18mm EP 30mm Diag Finder AC Cord Cam Mnt
   1 TRUE TRUE TRUE TRUE TRUE TRUE TRUE TRUE
   2 TRUE TRUE TRUE TRUE TRUE
   3 TRUE TRUE TRUE TRUE
   4 TRUE TRUE TRUE TRUE TRUE TRUE TRUE TRUE
   5 TRUE TRUE TRUE
   6 TRUE TRUE TRUE
   7 TRUE TRUE TRUE
   8 TRUE TRUE TRUE TRUE
   9 TRUE TRUE
   10 TRUE TRUE TRUE TRUE
   11 TRUE TRUE TRUE TRUE
3. Dynamax Criterion 8-inch SCT (set of 2, includes 1 set of legs)
4. Bausch & Lomb Criterion 6000 SCT A6” F1500mm
5. Meade 203/SC EMC f/10 SCT A8” F2000mm
6. Celestron Powerseeker 70EQ Refractor
7. Celestron NexStar 60SLT Refractor w/Computerized Mount
8. Unitron refractor OTA w/focuser 60mm/700mm
9. Dynascope 6” Newtonian Tube w/mirror & finder
10. 6” Newtonian Tube w/mirror (no name visible)
11. Meade ETX90 Maksutov-Cassegrain (broken mount)
12. Boxes of: Finder Scopes, Diagonals, Filters & Miscellaneous stuff

J. Sillasen made a motion that any of the donated telescopes be offered to members. The
rationale being they are too old to effectively be used for outreach given the need for AC
Power or in too bad of a condition to warrant being used. Members could have what they
wanted for the effort of rehabilitating each one. The motion passed unanimously.

As a result of the above motion, many members were up to the challenge of rehabilitating
some telescopes. Below is the list to date of what has been claimed for member personal
use:
Telescopes claimed

1. Bausch & Lomb Criterion 4000 4″ F/12 SCT
   John Sillasen, Marty Ollenschleger, Aniruddha Vidwans, Rob Dykstra, & Dan Mosher
2. Dynamax Criterion 8-inch SCT (1 with legs) – John Allen
3. Bausch & Lomb Criterion 6000 SCT 6″ F/15 – John Sillasen
4. Meade 203/SC EMC f/10 SCT A8″ F/10 – Al Johnson
5. Celestron NexStar 60SLT Refractor w/Computerized Mount – Chris Markiewicz
6. Meade ETX90 Maksutov-Cassegrain (broken mount)

New Members:

No new members were in attendance

Treasurer’s Report:

The treasurer’s report was not available at meeting time. Submitted post meeting by
Treasurer, Cyndi Barron, the results are as follows:
Checking account balance is $6,275.36.
Savings account balance is: $4,362.98.

WebMasters Report:

The webmaster was not available for a report.

Outreach:

Outreach Events that have been recently completed

Porchfest – Old Wethersfield, CT. Solar Observing at annual street fair at Heirloom Market
at Comstock Ferre, 263 Main St, Wethersfield, CT Saturday 8/29/2026, 9:00am – 6:00pm

Cedar Hill Cemetery – Hartford, CT, Star Party for individuals & family groups. This was a
fund raiser for the Cedar Hill Cemetery Foundation. 453 Fairfield Ave, Hartford, CT.
Tuesday 9/15/2026, 7:30pm – 11:00pm

Talk: Moon Lore & Observing – Bloomfield, CT
Moon lore & observing talk prior to IOTMN
Prosser Community Room, Prosser Library
16 Mountain Ave, Bloomfield, CT
Thursday 9/17/2026, 5:00pm – 6:00pm (followed by moongazing)
https://bplct.librarycalendar.com/event/presentation-astronomical-society-greaterhartford-prosser-18604

New Outreach for scheduling:

IOTMN – Int’l Observe the Moon Night – Bloomfield, CT ç Cancelled
Family Lunar/Stargazing
Auerfarm, Bloomfield
158 Auer Farm Road, Bloomfield, CT
Friday 9/18/2026, 7:00pm – 11:00pm

Moon Talk: Moon Lore & Observing – Plainville, CT
Moon lore & observing talk related to IOTMN
Chase Auditorium, Plainville Public Library
56 East Main St, Plainville, CT
Wednesday 9/23/2026, 6:00pm – 7:30pm (followed by moongazing)
https://plainvillect.events.mylibrary.digital/event?id=399191

Skygazing – Talcott Mountain Science Center, Avon, CT <==== Cancelled
Stargazing on TMSC telescopes
Public Event
Friday 09/25/2026 8:00-9:30 (volunteer arrival 7:30pm)

Outreach Events (upcoming)

Heron Cove: Star Party for Family Group – Tolland, CT. Stargazing Party (private) as
fundraiser for church mission trip. Heron Cove Park, Tolland CT, 125 S. River Rd,
Tolland, CT. Saturday 10/10/2026, 6:00pm – whenever

Wethersfield Harvest Festival – Old Wethersfield, CT. Solar Observing at annual
Harvest Festival. Located at Heirloom Market at Comstock Ferre, 263 Main St,
Wethersfield, CT.
Saturday 10/10/2026, 9:00am – 6:00pm

Skygazing – Talcott Mountain Science Center, Avon, CT
Stargazing on TMSC telescopes. Public Event
Friday 10/23/2026 7:00-8:30 (volunteer arrival 6:30pm)

Skygazing – Talcott Mountain Science Center, Avon, CT. Stargazing on TMSC telescopes
Public Event. Friday 11/06/2026 7:00-8:30 (volunteer arrival 6:30pm)

Suffield Middle School – Suffield, CT
Stargazing for Middle School Student Class
Wildcat Team Grade 7/8
Suffield Middle School Science Department
Cervione Soccer Field
571 Copper Hill Road, Suffield, CT
Date/Time TBD, end of October – beginning of November

Golden Goose Cross Fit Gym: Star Party for Members – Rocky Hill, CT
Stargazing Party for (private) members/families, 20-25 participants
location TBD, Rocky Hill CT preferred
date/time TBD, November time frame preferred

Old Business:

None

New Business:

None

Good of the Organization:

Telescope Workshop follows.

Meeting adjourned at 8:39PM ET so the Telescope Workshop could commence.

Two member telescopes were brought in for assistance. Both found valuable feedback and
solutions. These issues had prevented them from using the telescopes at all. We wish them
success and look forward to their future reports.