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Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston
A general interest astronomy club
Homewestford clubhouse

Our clubhouse

Westford clubhouse and grounds at night. Photo courtesy of Al Takeda

Our clubhouse is in Westford, MA, less than an hour's drive from Boston. Although maintained for our members, any non-member may visit with a member or by other prior arrangement (see the Contact Us page). The clubhouse is on the grounds of MIT's Millstone farmhouse. It is open most clear, moonless Friday and Saturday nights. To check if the clubhouse is open before heading there, call the clubhouse phone line at 978-692-8708.

20 Millstone Hill Road
Westford, MA

Latitude: 42d 36.5382' N Longitude: 71d 29.6581' W (Above are NAD83, accurate to ~1 meter, and were provided by Ed Wallner.)

Directions

  1. Take RT 3 North from I-95/RT-128 or I-495 to Exit 86.
  2. Proceed West on RT 40 for five miles.
  3. Turn Right (onto Millstone Rd) at the MIT Lincoln Lab, Haystack Observatory just after the Groton town line.
  4. Proceed to the farmhouse on the left side of the road.

Parking

Parking is available anytime in the gravel lot by the barn and front entrance to the clubhouse, in the gravel lot across the street near the tall garage shaped building, or along the side of Millstone Rd. Members may park on the observing field near a pad if they are bringing their own equipment. No traffic in or out of the field is allowed 1/2 hour after sunset without consent of other members present.

Visiting after dark

If you are visiting the clubhouse, please be aware that we have red light protocol after sunset.

  • Do not drive onto the observing field. You can park either in the gravel lot where you enter, or across the street by the tall "garage door" building.
  • Please be courteous with flashlights.
    • Use a small one to keep the stray light low
    • Point it toward the ground only
    • Cover it with several layers of red cellophane or use a red LED light. Red light doesn't affect our adaptation to night vision unless it's too bright or pointed into someone's eyes.

Amenities

There are many amenities available for our members.

  • Mirror making equipment to help you make your own optics
  • Optical testing equipment to assist with figuring telescope mirrors
  • A machine shop to help you build telescope components
  • Telescopes that you can borrow for the night
  • Observing field with level telescope pads that have etched cardinal points to make set up easier

Clubhouse Sky Camera

Direct Image Link

North up; East left