The Thirty Meter Telescope will eventually become the most advanced and powerful optical telescope on Earth.
Photo courtesy of tmt.org
Groundbreaking for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) at the summit of the Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii began on Oct. 7, with Chancellor Henry T. Yang acting as Chairman of the Board for the TMT International Observatory (TIO).
The groundbreaking and dedication ceremony was held in Hawaii, on top of the Mauna Kea volcano. Once complete, the telescope, a ground-based large segmented mirror reflecting telescope capable of observing the near-ultraviolet to mid-infrared spectrums, will cost $1.4 billion and be used to study the evolution of the universe.
Yang gave the opening speech at the ceremony, praising the partners involved in the project, which include the University of California, Caltech and the University of Hawaii.
“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,” Yang said in a press release. “This is a remarkable partnership among institutions in five nations, in cooperation with the University of Hawaii, to achieve a shared, visionary goal.”
According to Yang, who has served as Chairman of the project since 2007, the plan for the “next world-leading ground-based astronomy facility” began in 2000 between the University of California and Caltech and now involves partners from Canada, Japan, China and India.
“UC is a world leader in many areas, including extra-solar planet discovery and characterization, formation and evolution of galaxies over cosmic time, the search for the nature of dark matter and dark energy, and the formation and evolution of super-massive black holes through cosmic time,” Yang said. “TMT is optimized to address these areas.”
Chancellor Henry Yang
Associate Director for TMT and UCSC professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics Dr. Michael Bolte said the project had a lot of potential, noting that the images captured by the telescope will be 10 times sharper than those from the Hubble Space Telescope.
“We have a pretty good idea about how that evolution has proceeded in the last 8 or 10 billion years. The TMT will be particularly powerful for mapping the first 3 to 4 billion years,” Bolte said. “We believe we should be able to get images and take spectra of the very first stars and galaxies that formed in the universe after the Big Bang.”
Bolte said the benefits afforded to the UC by participating in the project are numerous.
“The guaranteed access to the TMT will draw the best faculty, researchers and graduate students in astronomy to UC campuses,” Bolte said. “TMT partnership offers great opportunities to build international partnerships in astronomy research and in technology development relevant to instruments and adaptive optics.”
According to Shelly Meron, the media specialist representing TMT treasurer Nathan Brostrom, the University of California and Caltech contributed $250 million with a grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Meron also said the University of California will fundraise an additional $50 million and that time on the telescope will divided among the project’s partners.
“Each partner will get a number of nights to use the TMT,” Meron said. “The number of nights is correlated to the share of funding each partner provides. The number of nights UC gets will be allocated among UC scientists.”
The groundbreaking ceremony and blessing never took place on October 7, 2014, because they were completely halted by protesters for cultural and spiritual reasons, as well as the legal status of Hawaiʻi as an occupied state. There is no treaty of cession to transfer Hawaiian sovereignty to the United States. The Newlands Resolution (1898), Organic Act (1900), and Admission Act (1959), are domestic laws of U.S. Congress which have no power under the U.S. Constitution to unilaterally annex a foreign country such as Hawaiʻi. http://www.hawaiiankingdom.org
Yang’s account of the October 7th so-called ground breaking ceremony on Mauna Kea is complete fiction. I was present at the event and there was no ground breaking that day. The protestors created a peaceful, effective slow down and blockade of traffic heading up the mountain– the only ones who made it past them were law enforcement officers from Homeland Security and other agencies, and “dignitaries” who were smuggled in via EMS ambulances; protesters didn’t want to block emergency vehicles. Presumably Mr. Yang was in one of those, otherwise he would not have been able to give his speech to… Read more »
This is an absolutely incorrect account of what really happened. You are among the very few who have somehow gotten the wrong information or are purposely revising history as it happens. I am going to keep this short because really, its not rocket science. The groundbreaking never happened. It was completely halted by a well organized and successful protest made up of multi-ethnic citizens of Hawaii who believe that the laws should be upheld and not circumvented and whom believe that when you take land from a so-called “public trust” and say that its for conservation purposes, and then you… Read more »
Is this a reported story or a press release? This is a cherry picked, candy-coated version of what actually happened on October 7th, not journalism.
The TMT is a project proposed to be built within a conservation district atop Mauna Kea. As yet, the project has not met the eight criteria required for building within a conservation district.
Aloha, Yes I also was on the mountain that day and the ceremony did not take place. This project is plagued with so much lies, illegal acts, corruption and desecration. For myself personally, this is not a religious battle against sciences, but our right as native people to protect our sacred spiritual places, our environment and to up hold justice. The science is amazing, new discoveries would be awesome, but so is our Mountain. It is great, amazing, awesome, sacred. It still has so much to teach us. So no, no more destruction to the natural landscape that we and… Read more »
Respect has not been shown to the culture, environment, or values of the Hawaiian people. The benefits do not outweigh the long-term damage to this sensitive and incredibly sacred Mountain. The groundbreaking did not take place that day due to the presence of 300 people from the base of the mountain to the summit praying, protesting and blocking this from happening. New York, Oregon,
California, our outer islands also had simultaneous protests of this groundbreaking that day. This has garnered attention from around the globe. Profit over rights will not be tolerated anymore.
This article is a joke. Shame on all involved with this article. 15 minutes of fame NOT!!!!!! A LIFE TIME OF SHAME ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chancellor Henry Yang gets the 2014 “Golden Pinnochio” award for prevarication and falsehood. The Groundbreaking October 7, 2014 for the Maunakea Telescope Project was cancelled and never happened at the proposed site. One can only speculate that he did this vicariously by issuing a typed communique, that indeed a groundbreaking did occur. While this may appear to be well and good with the general public on the surface, it means something quite different in the Accounts Receivable?Payable Departments whereby established cost center charge numbers are rewarded only after the formal Groundbreaking Ceremony is completed, the construction contracts legally consummated and… Read more »
NEVER HAPPENED. HES A LIER AND AN A- HOLE.
The groundbreaking and blessing on October 7, 2014 never took place on Mauna Kea. There is no glory or wisdom in building this proposed telescope on the most sacred peak to see the stars. There are enough telescopes already in place. Go build your telescope on your own lands. What you are looking for in the stars is closer than you think.
This is faulty reporting on the highest level. THe ceremony did not take place.
TMT Mr. Yang, you have proven again to all of us the lies and deception that have gone with trying to put the TMT on our Mauna.
This never happened. Lies!!! The Hawaiian people did not give their consent. This is exactly why we don’t want anyone on our sacred mountain because whatever comes out of their mouths are all lies. They will not protect our mountain. Once they get their foot in the door they will destroy whatever is in their path. They make promises they can’t and won’t keep. Enough destruction on our islands. We still have loads of artillery that hasn’t been cleaned up yet. We have had enough!!!
I too was there. We started peaceful protesting and sign waving at the base of the summit of Mauna Kea. We then re-positioned to the visitor center so that others could continue to protest up to the summit.
The ground breaking did not take place. 07OCT2014.
http://www.seashepherd.org
http://www.thinkblueconservation.org
I too was there.
We started peaceful protesting and sign waving at the base of Mauna Kea. We later re-positioned to the visitor center, so that others could continue to protest at the summit.
There was no ground breaking.
The TMT blessing and ceremony was brought to a complete hault. 07OCT2014. I was there!
http://www.seashepherd.org
http://www.oceandefenderhawaii.org
http://www.thinkblueconservation.org
While my testimony can include more details from what I was able to witness, these are the main concerns that stick out in my mind. For the entirety of that day, I observed this event unfold through live streaming and other social media. From the night before until everyone was home safe and sound, along with 37 other people from other places at a distance- we were also in a vigil to protect the mountain. When the actual groundbreaking was about to take place, members of the protest for protection of the mountain, stepped forward and spoke with eloquence and… Read more »
Hewa! All HEWA! This just goes to show that Big Business & these foreigners have no problem lying to accomplish their objectives. Their attitude & actions provethat they are above everyone else, and desecration of sacred sites of host cultures, are all irrelevant issues. They cancelled the ceremonies, apologized to our people, all of this is on video. Yet, never mind what the truth is, lies & deception, as well as talking in circles is their method to accomplish whatever they desire. Makes one think that when they publish their “Scientific Reports”, that the same method of telling stories is… Read more »
Dr Yang and dignitaries of our higher educational institutions of California, As a former student of Santa Clara University and Holy Names California and other colleges of California and as a combat veteran of the United States Army of ten years I am writing to help you understand the impact, the simple intrusion, the blatant violation that this construction will bring to the summit of Mauna a Wakea. I actually approve of science and agree that the stars, galaxies and cosmos are most visible and glorious from this location. With that being said, the indigenous peoples of the region will… Read more »
For accurate reporting of the successful 10/7/14 blockade that stopped the groundbreaking and desecration on Mauna Kea for the Thirty Meter Telescope Project here are some links: http://www.sacredmaunakea.wordpress.com Join the conversation on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/groups/sacredmaunakeahemakahiaponawakea Join the Revolution. THE TMT WILL NOT BE BUILT UPON THE SACRED GRAVES OF OUR ANCESTORS NOR WITHIN THE CONSERVATION DISTRICT THAT IS THE SUMMIT OF MAUNA KEA. GET USED TO THAT IDEA BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT BUILD ON OUR ENDANGERED SPECIES HABITATS, ON OUR FRESH WATER AQUIFER NOR UPON OUR SACRED SUMMIT- WHICH ARE ALL ONE AND THE SAME. AOLE TMT. You fail as… Read more »
For accurate reporting of the successful 10/7/14 blockade that stopped the groundbreaking and desecration on Mauna Kea for the Thirty Meter Telescope Project here is a link:
http://www.sacredmaunakea.wordpress.com
THE TMT WILL NOT BE BUILT UPON THE SACRED GRAVES OF OUR ANCESTORS NOR WITHIN THE CONSERVATION DISTRICT THAT IS THE SUMMIT OF MAUNA KEA. GET USED TO THAT IDEA BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT BUILD ON OUR ENDANGERED SPECIES HABITATS, ON OUR FRESH WATER AQUIFER NOR UPON OUR SACRED SUMMIT- WHICH ARE ALL ONE AND THE SAME.
AOLE TMT. You fail as did your groundbreaking FAIL.
Join the conversation to STOP the TMT in its tracks on Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/sacredmaunakeahemakahiaponawakea
Join the Revolution.
This article is false!!!
Mauna A Wākea is loved and will be protected by all of its people!!
Chancellor Henry T. Yang, you need to get your head out of your **s!!!!!
Stop destroying and start caring about others, not just people, but all things around you. Fix what you have here on this planet before you decide to go and nī’ele all the other places in this universe.
This is shameful!! Once again outside corporate interests are ignoring the Hawaiian people’s rights and beliefs while stomping all over a delicate Eco system I am all for science — in fact I f*%€ng love science — but the TMT project – like the super ferry–has been rushed into with no ecological impact study and no respect for the law– this project is still under litigation —ground breaking actions are immoral as well as illegal.
People in different states have different IQs. Hawaii is the 4th worst state in the US for low IQ testing. Perhaps bringing the TMT to the Big Island would help aid the Aloha state with its low IQ problems.