On behalf of the staff I would like to thank everyone for their ideas and input. Please note we have not committed to anything at this point and we have received some very good suggestions which we are following. We have no intention of wasting your money.
I will take a picture of the dome soon and put it here for you all to see.
FYI, we have several scopes including a 12inch and 16inch dobs which we trundle out every now and then for major events. I love the view they give but on busy nights, despite telling everyone that they easily out perform the north dome scope (heat from the building is another major problem), there won't be a queue for them but a massive one for the domes, why? People love the domes and the experience they bring.
Some here have mentioned the quality of the view. Optical quality is one thing but varying staff focus is perhaps a bigger more problematic issue. If anyone can suggest a fast reliable way we can standardise visual focus, again please let me know. Video is not an option as a replacement.
Overall the view through the 16inch SCT has been good for most objects. It's a solid B+ imo. Why don't we keep it? We may well do so but we are investigating options within a budget.
Again thank you for the discussion.
Kind regards
Geoff
geoffw@phm.gov.au