The
primary instrument in the observatory is an 18" f4.5 dobsonian
mounted
newtonian. Made by Obsession, this unit is fitted out with a
Servocat tracking and goto system, and an Argo Navis computer. A
wireless link to a local laptop is planned in the very near future.
I've owned the scope for a number of years, but have used it more in the 9 months since the installation of the observatory (in Aug 2007) than the preceding three years. The only drawback to having a large dob in an observatory is that it's sky access is somewhat restricted due to the height of the walls. Thanks to the fold down south wall, I can get down to around 25 degrees or so off the southern horizon.
The other "main" instruments include a Celestron 11 inch SCT to give me some aperture to view the deep south, and several wide field refractors - most notably at this point, a Tele Vue NP-101, an awesome instrument noted for it's ability to provide wide fields and high magnification.
Reviews of the current main instruments:
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