Thirty Meter telescope will resume construction after legal win

The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) has cleared the last legal hurdle to resume construction on Hawaii’s Big Island.

Hawaii’s Board of Land and Natural Resources issued a fresh construction permit in September 2017, which opponents appealed. The latest ruling upholds that permit.

This is one of three new giant telescopes for a new era of ground-based observing. The Giant Magellan Telescope and the European Extremely Large Telescope are both under construction in Chile. The Thirty Meter Telescope is a multinational project involving two universities in California, plus the governments of Canada, China, India and Japan.

12 thoughts on “Thirty Meter telescope will resume construction after legal win”

  1. I think this involved protestors for the “sacred mountain”It was already “sacred” for the existing telescopes there.Never mind the logic – this is about feelings, anti-science, anti-business etc..Some people think life in Plato’s cave would be wonderful.We have the same mentality here in Australia – shutting down gas, oil, timber,fishery, roads, dams, coal and even “eco-tourist” ventures.

  2. What the nativists conveniently ignore is that the top of Mauna Kea used to be a *rock quarry*. In the past, the volcano erupted during an ice age. This rapidly cooled the lava, before large crystals could form. The resulting basalt was difficult to fracture, making it ideal for stone tools. The natives hiked up the mountain in the summer, worked for a while, then carried the axe-heads and whatnot back down to where they actually lived. Evidence for the quarry activity is all over the top of the mountain.Nobody ever lived up there. The lack of rain means nothing grows, and the thin air makes it hard to do physical labor. Feeling funny and passing out is quite common at that altitude, even today. I find it likely that the natives attributed those effects to the mountain goddess, which is why they built shrines near their work camps to appease her.

  3. I think this involved protestors for the “sacred mountain”
    It was already “sacred” for the existing telescopes there.
    Never mind the logic – this is about feelings, anti-science, anti-business etc..
    Some people think life in Plato’s cave would be wonderful.
    We have the same mentality here in Australia – shutting down gas, oil, timber,
    fishery, roads, dams, coal and even “eco-tourist” ventures.

  4. What the nativists conveniently ignore is that the top of Mauna Kea used to be a *rock quarry*. In the past, the volcano erupted during an ice age. This rapidly cooled the lava, before large crystals could form. The resulting basalt was difficult to fracture, making it ideal for stone tools. The natives hiked up the mountain in the summer, worked for a while, then carried the axe-heads and whatnot back down to where they actually lived. Evidence for the quarry activity is all over the top of the mountain.Nobody ever lived up there. The lack of rain means nothing grows, and the thin air makes it hard to do physical labor. Feeling funny and passing out is quite common at that altitude, even today. I find it likely that the natives attributed those effects to the mountain goddess, which is why they built shrines near their work camps to appease her.

  5. What the nativists conveniently ignore is that the top of Mauna Kea used to be a *rock quarry*. In the past, the volcano erupted during an ice age. This rapidly cooled the lava, before large crystals could form. The resulting basalt was difficult to fracture, making it ideal for stone tools. The natives hiked up the mountain in the summer, worked for a while, then carried the axe-heads and whatnot back down to where they actually lived. Evidence for the quarry activity is all over the top of the mountain.

    Nobody ever lived up there. The lack of rain means nothing grows, and the thin air makes it hard to do physical labor. Feeling funny and passing out is quite common at that altitude, even today. I find it likely that the natives attributed those effects to the mountain goddess, which is why they built shrines near their work camps to appease her.

  6. I think this involved protestors for the “sacred mountain”It was already “sacred” for the existing telescopes there.Never mind the logic – this is about feelings, anti-science, anti-business etc..Some people think life in Plato’s cave would be wonderful.We have the same mentality here in Australia – shutting down gas, oil, timber,fishery, roads, dams, coal and even “eco-tourist” ventures.

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