Protestors atop Hawaii's Mauna Kea Mountain proclaimed a small victory yesterday, when they were able to turn back construction crews tasked with installing a fence around the area chosen to house what will be the world's most advanced ground-based telescope.
Work has been stalled for months on the new Thirty Meter Telescope as protestors, representing the beliefs and rights of indigenous Hawaiians, continue to fight for their mountain. Ongoing demonstrations, which have been for the most part peaceful, have resulted in small numbers of arrests, with this latest incident resulting in 12. Protestors intermittently blocked the roads leading up to the construction site, which is adjacent to an existing expanse of large telescopes that make up the Mauna Kea Observatory.
At 14,000 feet, the summit of Mauna Kea is the ideal spot for astronomical observations. Its remote location and clear skies provide unimpeded views of space, and the Observatory currently houses over a dozen high-powered telescopes administered by scientific organizations from around the world.
The proposed Thirty Meter Telescope is slated to be the newest addition to the Observatory. This $1.4 billion telescope will stand over 18 stories high and provide astronomers unparalleled views of the cosmos. The telescope will enhance investigations into essentially every field of astronomy and astrophysics, from black holes to the formation of galaxies. The powerful scope may even enable a glimpse of galaxies at the very edge of the observable universe, as far back as the beginning of time.
But scientific potential means little to the indigenous people of Hawaii, who see the addition of another monster scope atop their mountain as nothing short of desecration. Protestors have been frustrated by what they perceive as a lack of support from Hawaii's governor, David Ige. Ige acknowledges that the state must take a more active role in protecting sacred land, but as governor, he is also tasked with promoting industry throughout the islands.
The Thirty Meter Telescope Observatory Corp. was formed by the University of California and the California Institute of Technology. Its partners include researchers from China, Japan, India and Canada, as well as scientists from the University of Hawaii, all of whom will split observation time on the giant scope.
Protestors have vowed to continue their peaceful fight.