Details

The First Light Telescope Conference is held at Technical Marine Systems (TMS) in Portland, OR, and thanks to the generosity of Dan Gray (owner) and Emile Lemoine (site manager) it is free to attend. The location is an industrial manufacturing facility with lots of floor space for seating and benchtops for demonstrations. It’s not a fancy convention center.

The conference is also available in live stream (details TBD) and will be recorded. Some presenters will be on site; others will be livestreamed.

The 2026 dates for the conference are October 16 – 18.

Depending on the final number of presentations we may have nothing but an in-person social event on Friday, October 16. It’s also possible that we will livestream demonstrations on Friday, so keep your calendar clear if you can’t be here in person. Even with high quality livestream, expect that the in-person experience will be far more valuable, and the more people who attend in person the more valuable that experience becomes!

We traditionally host lunch and dinner featuring grilled meats (chicken, burgers, dogs) and a variety of sides. Please put $5 in the donation box each meal to help cover the cost. This is the only cost for this conference!

TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATIONS

Some attendees travel across the continent to attend because yes, it’s that compelling! If that’s you for the first time, welcome, and we can provide some hotel and B&B recommendations. Contact us.

Giant dobs towered over attendees in 2022

Howard Banich demonstrates a night vision device in his 2025 presentation.