Nathan Koren wrote:
In the course of my architecture practice, I have encountered a client
who wishes to built a personal observatory. Their budget for the
scope itself (nevermind the enclosure and sitework, et cetera) is
$750,000. This seems like an akward number to me -- a lot larger than
any definition of "amateur" that I'm familiar with, but a lot smaller
than any institutional observatory I've ever heard of. Nonetheless,
if you had $750,000 to blow on a telescope, to whom would you go?

The issue of the best source for the proposed observatory goes far
beyond the available budget. There are many options available in this
price range and it's necessary to know the purpose of the observatory as
well as several other factors before making a decision on either the
type of telescope or the manufacturer or manufacturers (telescopes in
this range often have components provided by different sources). There
are many companies that can build a telescope that will cost this much
for your client. What he will end up with could well be unsuitable for
his purposes, however, unless proper care is taken in matching the
instrument and building to his needs. There's more homework that needs
to be done before deciding where to buy the telescope.

If someone asked you what car to buy for $125,000 would you recommend a
Ferrari or a Rolls-Royce? Both are great cars. But while one would
satisfy the customer, the other would be a big disappointment. And
you'd have to know which showroom to go to ahead of time so you can
learn about the most appropriate options available.

Mike Simmons