Kelly Slater is Mauna Kea. Photos: (L) Kelly Slater/Shutterstock
On the highest peak of Hawaii’s Big Island, one of the largest and most powerful telescopes ever built is slated for construction. From a purely scientific perspective, it’s a near-perfect spot to look into the depths of space–the air at the top is dryer and more clear than nearly anywhere on earth. The absence of light pollution from nearby cities makes the summit of Mauna Kea a star-gazer’s dream.
But not everyone is a star-gazer. In fact, a lot of people aren’t. And they’re making it very known via social media, using the hashtag WeAreMaunaKea.
The project, which will cost an estimated 1.4 billion dollars, would plant the massive Thirty Meter Telescope (the TMT) right on top of a location that is sacred to many Hawaiians. It’s been a long road for both sides. After a seven year process, a laundry list of conditions came out, which, if approved, would make TMT the last new telescope built on Mauna Kea. Future telescopes would only be allowed if they fit inside the grounds of existing ones. The TMT project also would need to pump a million dollars a year into research and financial aid for the local workers, along with another million on projects that directly affect Hawaii in a positive way.
A telescope at the top of Mauna Kea wouldn’t be anything new. Right now, there are more than a dozen telescopes peering into the vastness of space. And while there have been protests and lawsuits and public disapproval of some of them, those, however, weren’t built in the age of social media. The #WeAreMaunaKea protest has snowballed so hard that it’s halted development.
The TMT would be a telescope on a massive scale. The telescope itself is blueprinted at 18 stories tall, and would cover almost two acres of land that many native Hawaiians consider sacred. According to the BBC, the project would destroy over 5 acres of that land. According to HuffPo Hawaii, many Hawaiians believe that Mauna Kea is where the Hawaiian Islands originated from. There’s a burial site near the peak, and the mountain is home to many sacred rituals.
But the TMT probably isn’t going to go down without a fight–funded by organizations from Japan, India, Canada, China, and the United States, it’s got big money and big power behind it. In a story reminiscent of the Monsanto vs. Hawaii fight, many in the community have come together to make it known that they don’t want another telescope on their land. Jason Momoa (of Game of Thrones fame, who definitely hits the gym) and Kelly Slater both took to Instagram to voice their opposition:
Unlike the GMO issue, though, the telescope project has a few more nooks and crannies worth looking into. Back in 2013, when the Hawaii Board of Land and Natural Resources gave the go-ahead to start construction, protesters blocked access to the groundbreaking ceremony. Then, last month, when construction was truly about to start, demonstrators took an even stronger stand, blocking access again–only this time, they came out in force. By the beginning of April, protesters were camped out at the top of the mountain. Over thirty arrests were made, and an online petition to stop the construction has gathered nearly 50,000 signatures. But it’s not the telescope itself the protesters don’t want. It’s merely the construction site.
But there is another side to the coin. There are definite benefits to TMT. The project would create jobs on a relatively small island. According to the Huffington Post, it would put nearly 500 people to work, and on an island with a population less than 200,000, that’s a fair percentage. And when it comes to researching the observable universe, there really is no other place on earth better suited that Mauna Kea. With a telescope like TMT, astronomers could see 13 billion light-years away, which, according to the project’s website, would enable us to glimpse the very beginning of time.
There are even a few scientists that aren’t quite sure that putting a telescope on top of Mauna Kea isn’t the greatest idea. Adam Burgasser, an associate professor of astrophysics at the University of California, San Diego, talked to Buzzfeed about the issue. (TMT) is predicated on this idea that we have some permission to take over these spaces and use them for scientific research,” he said. “Even though I benefit greatly from that professionally, I don’t think we can make that assumption that we have rights to this mountain.”
Many residents of Hawaii who are opposing the project are claiming that they don’t exactly trust the state to protect the land–which, more than most places, is incredibly important to Hawaiians. But of course, there are a few Hawaiians who have an interesting take on the project. The ancient Polynesians were experts in sailing by the stars–their history is riddled with incredible voyages using the celestial bodies as a map. The stars are part of Hawaii’s heritage, and seeing them more clearly is a tribute of sorts to a culture that is slowly being buried.
As of last week, the governor put a temporary halt on construction–at least until April 20th. The ones against the project are pushing for the supreme court to look at the fight, which, if all goes to plan, will be completed by 2024.
For everything you need to know about Mauna Kea, check out Huffington Post Hawaii.
