Archive:News
Worlds Largest Telescope to be Built in Hawaii
An idea that began around six years ago, the Thirty Meter Telescope is one step closer to coming to fruition. The board of directors of the TMT Observatory Corporation selected Mauna Kea as the preferred site for the Thirty Meter Telescope on July 21st 2009. When completed the TMT will be the worlds largest telescope, dwarfing the second largest - also located on Mauna kea.
The Telescope
The telescopes mirror stretches nearly 100 feet in diameter composed of 492 segments, and will be so large that it can gather light that will have spent 13 billion years traveling to earth. This will enable astronomers to detect and study light from the earliest stars and galaxies, analyze the formation of planets around nearby stars, and test many of the fundamental laws of physics.
The TMT can do this by the latest innovations in precision control, segmented mirror design, and adaptive optics to correct for the blurring effect of Earth’s atmosphere, allowing the TMT to mimic the results of a telescope in space.
Choosing the Site
The TMT Observatory Corporation conducted a global satellite survey and selected five outstanding site candidates for further ground-based studies of atmospheric stability, wind patterns, temperature variation, and other meteorological characteristics that would affect the performance of the telescope.
After the ground based studies were performed, Mauna Kea and Cerro Armazones were selected in May 2008 for environmental, financial, and cultural impact studies. Richard Ellis, a board member of the TMT Observatory Corporation, told reporters that one of the deciding factors was that Mauna Kea is at a higher elevation, its air is drier and its average temperature fluctuates less during the course of the day
Public Reaction
By and large, the decision to locate the TMT on Mauna Kea was well recieved. Many universities expressed excitement at the decision. Researchers and students at the University of Hawaii are particularly excited, as they have been promised a share of the TMT's observation time.
On the other hand, Native Hawaiian and environmental groups have protested the new building site. According to Native Hawaiian tradition, high altitudes are sacred, and a gateway to heaven. In Acient Hawaii only Kahuna (chiefs) and Ali`i (Priests) were allowed at Mauna Kea's peak. Mauna Kea, and it's sister volcano Mauna Loa, are at the center of an important Native Hawaiian legend. According to the legend, Mauna Kea is (or depending on the teller, it could simply be the place of residence for) the goddess Poliahu, and Mauna Loa is (or is the residence of) the rival goddess Pele. The mountain is also home to one confirmed burial site and perhaps four more.
Environmentalists oppose the telescope on the grounds it would hurt some endangered species.