I had a great time observing the not-again-in-my-lifetime Transit of Venus earlier this month. The Detroit Observatory is just a couple of blocks from my office, so as well as seeing the transit, I also made a much-overdue visit there and saw the historic telescope.
Wonderful! It is great that you got to see the telescope. Is it still used?
It is still used, though by hobbyists rather than university researchers. It was fascinating to see how it is manipulated and focused – I’m thinking of going back for one of the sessions when it’s actually put to use.