The University of Hawaii has finally given the go signal to allow the use of university-owned land for the construction of what is to be the world's largest telescope.
The huge telescope will be built on the summit the Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano in Hawaii. The telescope will have a primary mirror 100 feet in diameter, which will be larger than any other primary mirror previously used in a terrestrial telescope. The project, also known as the Thirty Mile Telescope (TMT), will be jointly operated by the University of California, the California Institute of Technology, and the Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy. Various institutions from Japan, China and India have also joined in the effort to build the TMT.
"Near the center of Pasadena, California, a team of scientists, engineers, and project specialists is busily planning and designing what eventually will become the most advanced and powerful optical telescope on Earth," says the TMT team. "When completed later this decade, the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) will enable astronomers to study objects in our own solar system and stars throughout our Milky Way and its neighboring galaxies, and forming galaxies at the very edge of the observable Universe, near the beginning of time."
Currently, the Gran Telescopio in the Canary Islands is the largest terrestrial optical telescope in the world. However, the segmented primary mirror to be built for the TMT will be almost three times the size of the Gran Telescopio's mirror. When completed, the TMT will allow scientists and astronomers to view stars, planets and other celestial objects as far as 13 billion light years away.
While the scientific community is looking forward to the completion of the TMT, a number of locals is opposing the project due to the location chosen for the new telescope. Some native Hawaiians view the summit of Mauna Kea as sacred ground and they fear that the construction of the TMT desecrate the holy grounds on the volcano's peak. Moreover, environmentalists are also concerned that the project could interfere with the local flora and fauna. Environmentalist groups are worried that the construction may put the local population of the rare wekiu bug in peril.
Despite the opposition of some locals, the University of Hawaii's Board of Regents has already approved the proposal by voting 15 to 1 in favor of allowing the lease. During the construction period of the TMT, the projects backers will pay a rent of $300,000. However, the price will go up as the project nears completion. If things proceed smoothly, the TMT will be completed by 2021.
