Northeast Astronomy Forum from David Parmet on Vimeo.

NEAF – the Northeast Astronomy Forum – is the astronomy industry’s version of CES with a little bit of SXSW thrown in for good measure. Held annually at Rockland County Community College, it brings out all the big manufacturers, the publications and the vendors as well as hoards of eager hobbyists with money to burn on the latest gear.

Astronomy – the hobby – isn’t cheap. A basic set-up - telescope, eyepieces and related gear – can run over a thousand bucks. Higher end telescopes used by hobbyists can run into the thousands. So yes, the industry did suffer somewhat from the Great Recession but this year things seem to be bouncing back. I spoke with a range of folks – journalists and manufacturers – and all seem to feel that the worst is behind them.

On the other hand, many folks expressed their concerns that the hobby remains dominated by older men. More than a few people mentioned the need to get more children and families involved.

This year the organizers made the effort to include more activities for children and I did notice a lot more families walking up and down the show floor than I have in the past.

One very cool note – a certain software manufacturer showed me a very cool iPad application for controlling telescopes. They are still working out the bugs but the possibilities of touch and go control of telescopes (as opposed to using a laptop in the field) boggles the mind. So stay tuned, it’s coming soon to a star party near you.