[Translation] Giant Telescope: To Continue, There Must Be Sacrifices!

Giant Telescope in Hawaii: To Continue, There Must Be Sacrifices!

One in four must leave! After a two-month hiatus, the construction of the giant Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) in Hawaii is back on track—but at the cost of other telescopes.

Construction was forced to halt in April due to growing protests from local Hawaiian residents. Compared to this telescope, all current telescopes in the world pale in size—it will allow astronomers to peer to the very edge of the visible universe. However, its location on Mauna Kea, an extinct volcano considered "sacred ground" by many Hawaiians, is seen as an insult—especially since there are already more than a dozen telescopes on the summit.

"We began worrying about this issue when astronomers first came to Mauna Kea to build stations in the 1960s," says Hawaiian activist Kealoha Pisciotta. "But until recently, the residents of Hawaii were oppressed, and their voices were not heard."

Now, those voices have been heard: On May 26, Hawaii Governor David Ige announced that construction of the TMT could resume, on the condition that at least one-quarter of the 13 existing telescopes on the summit must be closed by the time the telescope becomes operational in the mid-2020s.

Furthermore, by 2033, the University of Hawaii, which manages the astronomical operations on the summit, will not be allowed to renew the lease for 40 of the 45 square kilometers currently under lease. They must also guarantee that no further telescopes will be built on other undeveloped land. Additionally, from now on, all visitors wishing to see the 4,205-meter peak will not only receive warnings about altitude sickness but will also be required to undergo training regarding the cultural value of the mountain.

The Caltech Submillimeter Observatory on the mountain was already scheduled to be replaced by a new telescope before the decommissioning period, but apart from that, no one knows which of the remaining 12 telescopes on Mauna Kea will be shut down. It is almost certain that the two Keck Telescopes, the Gemini Telescope, and the Subaru Telescope—all of which are among the most powerful on Earth—will be preserved. Only in this way can the loss to astronomy be minimized.

However, the lesson for astronomers is significant. While some astronomers ignored the protests, viewing the protesters merely as troublemakers, others have begun to see the situation from a different perspective, gaining deeper insights.

"I’m a little embarrassed because I hadn’t thought about the impact astronomy has had on the residents of Hawaii," says Renée Hlozek, who recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Princeton. "We have to make some sacrifices, but as a community, we haven’t really been the ones sacrificing."

John Johnson, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, further stated that when he first heard about the protests, he didn’t truly understand why the Hawaiian residents were so upset. "Then," he said, "I began to look into the history." He was shocked. "What isn’t mentioned is that Hawaii was originally a sovereign nation with its own rich culture, but it was taken [by the US], and now we are further destroying it. To astronomers, this is just something in the past that has nothing to do with us, but it is still frightening."

Original Text

Giant telescope in Hawaii gets go-ahead, if others shut down

One in four must go. Hawaii’s giant Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) is back in business after a hiatus of 2 months – but at the expense of other telescopes.

Back in April, construction of the telescope was temporarily halted in the face of mounting protests from native Hawaiians. The telescope would dwarf any observatory now in existence, allowing astronomers to peer to the very edge of the visible universe. Its presence atop the extinct volcano Mauna Kea, however, which many Hawaiians consider sacred ground, was considered an insult – especially since there are more than a dozen telescopes on the summit already.

"When astronomers first came build on Mauna Kea in the 1960s we were concerned," says Hawaiian activist Kealoha Pisciotta, "but back in the day Hawaiian people were oppressed and didn’t have a voice."

That voice has now been heard: On 26 May, Hawaii’s governor David Ige announced that construction on the TMT could resume. But by the time the telescope goes into operation in the mid-2020s, at least one-quarter of the 13 telescopes now on the summit must be shut down.

Not only that: by 2033, the University of Hawaii, which oversees astronomical operations on the summit, will have to abandon 40 of the 45 square kilometres it leases from the state, and promise not to build telescopes on any undeveloped land. And anyone who visits the 4205-metre summit from now on will not only get warnings about altitude sickness, but will also receive training on the peak’s cultural significance.

No one knows which of the 13 telescopes on Mauna Kea will be shut down, apart from the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory, which had been scheduled for demolition even before the controversy over the new telescope arose. It’s virtually certain that the twin Keck Telescopes, the Gemini Telescope and the Subaru telescope, all of which are among the most powerful on Earth, will survive. The overall harm to astronomy will be minimal.

The educational value for astronomers, however, could be enormous. Some have dismissed the protests as just a lot of noise from troublemakers, but others have found the episode eye-opening.

"I’m a little embarrassed that I hadn’t even thought about the impact astronomy has had on indigenous Hawaiians," says Renée Hlozek, who is just finishing up a postdoctoral fellowship at Princeton. "We’ll have to make some sacrifices, but as a community we haven’t been on the receiving end of sacrifice."

John Johnson, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, goes even further. When he first heard about the protests, Johnson didn’t really understand why the Hawaiians were so upset.

"Then," he says, "I began looking into the history." He was appalled. "It’s not talked about, but [the US] stole the Hawaiian islands from a sovereign nation that had its own rich culture, and we just destroyed it. For astronomers to act like this is all in the past has nothing to do with us and is just horrible."

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