07-15-2015, 06:13 PM
Sigh. It's the Big Lie again. I don't know why the following keeps being used as some argument against the observatories, but it's been refuted so many times I really do suspect it's deliberate. Perhaps reality simply does not support some people's agenda, so repeat enough times until it becomes an accepted fact.
"If the KECK facility is costing investigators $50,000 a night and the TMT is an order of magnitude bigger, and one can expect it will cost astronomers that much more, then we're talking about what? 25 million plus a year in revenue? So making it sound like the TMT is some little ol' non-profit is a weak argument. And besides, if viewing time on the TMT is going to be so awesome they'll be able to charge whatever they want."
The observatories do not make money. No astronomer is charged a fee for using one of the telescopes for their science project. The costs being quoted are the operating costs for the observatory. That is paid for by the partners that fund an observatory. In most cases that's government-funded research councils and universities. There is no additional charge made to astronomers using the telescopes, there are no profits made. If there is any money left over at the end of the financial year, that money either gets sent back, used to help fund operations for the next year or used for instrument development depending on what the funding agencies decide.
The financial statements for the observatories are online and available to all, but I'm so fed up with these repeated lies I will ask those making them to do a little research of their own for a change. Can't see it happening, but that's their choice. Getting a little fed up helping lazy and dishonest people.
"If the KECK facility is costing investigators $50,000 a night and the TMT is an order of magnitude bigger, and one can expect it will cost astronomers that much more, then we're talking about what? 25 million plus a year in revenue? So making it sound like the TMT is some little ol' non-profit is a weak argument. And besides, if viewing time on the TMT is going to be so awesome they'll be able to charge whatever they want."
The observatories do not make money. No astronomer is charged a fee for using one of the telescopes for their science project. The costs being quoted are the operating costs for the observatory. That is paid for by the partners that fund an observatory. In most cases that's government-funded research councils and universities. There is no additional charge made to astronomers using the telescopes, there are no profits made. If there is any money left over at the end of the financial year, that money either gets sent back, used to help fund operations for the next year or used for instrument development depending on what the funding agencies decide.
The financial statements for the observatories are online and available to all, but I'm so fed up with these repeated lies I will ask those making them to do a little research of their own for a change. Can't see it happening, but that's their choice. Getting a little fed up helping lazy and dishonest people.