People Building Home Observatories

You probably have a home theater, what about a home observatory? This article highlights a trend among some of building your own amateur observatory right in your home. In fact, astronomy themed residential communities are popping up. And these things sound like the real deal.
I used to be into this, but getting out and setting up your telescope every time becomes a real chore, and in residential areas you have to deal with light pollution.

Domes in home observatories are typically made of metal or fiberglass and range in size from 8 to 30 feet in diameter. They are sold in kits from manufacturers like Ash or Technical Innovations and start at about $5,000, depending on the size, materials and features. The price includes a computer-controlled motorized system that opens the dome’s sliding or hatch-like shutter and rotates the dome...Most home observatories have between $10,000 and $40,000 in equipment, including telescopes, computers, refractors, filters and tracking mechanisms, according to astronomy equipment retailers.
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