BY: Keith S. Shikowitz, Investigative Reporter
Interest in astronomy was peaked this year with the full solar eclipse which occurred on April 8, 2024. People gathered across New York State with special glasses and other viewing apparatus to watch the moon make its transit across the sun. This interest in astronomy has an annual champion in the form of the Northeast Astronomy Forum (NEAF) taking place in the fieldhouse at Rockland Community College in April, which is a convention of vendors selling everything from binoculars to telescopes that cost tens of thousands of dollars and speakers on everything from how to predict the weather to space and the search for Earth like exoplanets and life outside of our solar system. This year the event took place on April 20 – 21. Along with the vendors selling telescopes, there are non-profit organizations, and every year, The USS Abraham Lincoln a science fiction group and the Suffern High School Robotics team are there showing off their organizations.
Ayushi Mehrotra, a sophomore who is the programmer for the team explained what her role is.
Ethan Leon, a designer on the team showed his part of the project and how it worked. “I made the claw intake for the robot.” Students join various teams and activities for a variety of reasons, Leon said he joined the Robotics team through outreaches like this. “I saw the Robotics Team everywhere and got interested.” His part of the robot is a very integral part of it. Without that part, the robot would not be able to complete its task for the competition.
The students demonstrated how their robot works, with practiced precision.
There is a fitness craze going on in this country. Many different fitness places are opening up and people are flocking to them. Well, even the robots are getting into the idea of exercising and staying fit.
Along with the real science present at NEAF, science fiction has its place at the expo. On September 8, 1966, what was to become a science fiction juggernaut began with the airing of the Star Trek Original Series episode “The Man Trap”. Since then, ten other Star Trek series, including three animated ones and thirteen movies have had fans traveling all over this galaxy and into other realities. Starfleet International is the largest Star Trek fan club in the world with more than 230 chapters all over the world and over 5000 members.
There is a local chapter of Starfleet International here in the Hudson Valley. It was named the USS Abraham Lincoln by its commanding officer. Commander Andrew Sterman, the first officer, (second in command) of the USS Abraham Lincoln, gave a brief history of the chapter and explained why the Lincoln was participating at NEAF. “We have been around since 2009 and serve the lower Hudson Valley. We’ve come to NEAF every year since 2017 to highlight the organization and our particular chapter with the hope of attracting new members. So far, every year we have gotten at least one new member as a result of our participation at NEAF.” We try to make it easy for people to sign up with us if they want to by having two computers set up with the Starfleet website join tab on screen.
With the international clientele in attendance, we have helped chapters around the world gain new members.
Businesses such as Andover Corporation, based in New Hampshire, which makes imaging filters and other items for observatories came to show their wares to the astronomical public. “We’ve been in business for about forty-eight years.” stated Joshua Jones, one of two company representatives at NEAF.
Tina Hippock, the other representative said, “We’re here to let people know what we do.”
NEAF would not be possible without the general public coming to see the vendors and guests. Two guests who have been coming for years are Paul from Redding PA and his daughter Allison from Allentown Pa. “I have been coming here since the beginning. As far as coming here every year, it kind of gives you that energy about astronomy and what it is to be an amateur astronomer.”
She enjoys coming with her father to this event.
NEAF is not just for vendors looking to make money on their products. Non – profit organizations come to see about getting help with their charitable work. Shannon and April Russell were promoting one such organization is Astronomers without Borders.
Extra Life, another non-profit organization which donates money to children’s hospitals takes a modern day approach to raising money for their charitable work. John Pezzino described what the organization is and does.
NEAF has had very prominent guests speak at the expo. Meteorologist Joe Rao formerly of News 12, planetary scientist and professor Janie Radebaugh, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, various astronauts and others involved in studying the cosmos from around the world and NEAF shows no sign of slowing down.