The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) will soon be the largest such astronomical tool in the world, following completion of construction which broke ground in Hawaii on October 7. The observatory will be built on the summit of Mauna Kea in the Aloha State.
George Takei, best known for his performance as Lieutenant Sulu on the original Star Trek Series, hosted a live webcast, celebrating the start of construction.
Protesters opposed to the construction of the $1.4 billion dollar facility came out to make their voices heard. Around a dozen demonstrators came to rally against the new telescope, outside the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation office in Palo Alto, California. That organization, established by the founder of Intel, is reported to be the largest financial backer of the observatory.
"This is an exciting moment as we begin construction of TMT. Its giant mirror, nearly 100 feet across, promises the highest definition views of planets orbiting nearby stars and the first stars and galaxies in the distant universe," Edward Stone, executive director of the TMT International Observatory, said.
India recently agreed to become the latest partner on the TMT project. That country recently sent an orbiter to the planet Mars, a first for any Asian nation. Other partners include the University of California, the National Institutes of Natural Sciences in Japan, California Institute of Technology, and the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Canada could also join the project, early in 2015.
The mirror guidance and steering systems are under construction in China, while more than 60 mirror blanks are manufactured in Japan. Support systems for the main mirror are being assembled in India, while the control mechanisms, which guide the mirrors utilizing laser guidance, are being designed in California. The enclosure that will house the massive telescope is ready for construction in Canada.
"With profound respect for the culture, environment, and values, and thanks to the people of Hawaii, we appreciate the opportunity to build this revolutionary facility for expanding our understanding of the universe. This is a remarkable partnership among institutions in five nations, in cooperation with the University of Hawaii, to achieve a shared, visionary goal," Henry Yang, chairman of the board for the TMT International Observatory (TIO), said.
An aperture of nearly 100 feet will allows astronomers the ability to see dimmer, more distant objects than ever-before possible. An adaptive optics system will provide researchers with images 12 times more detailed than the Hubble Space Telescope (HST).
The University of California is expected to pay $175 million in construction costs for the observatory, along with $4.8 million in operational costs. School officials predict most of that cost would be paid by philanthropist supporters.
