Mauna Kea

By: Tyrah Delos

Reyes & Alexis
Rogers
The Issue:
Currently the TMT International Observatory wants to place a thirty meter telescope on the
dormant volcano, Mauna Kea, located on Hawaii. There are already 13 telescopes located
on or near the summit of Mauna Kea, but the TMT telescope is a “new class” of telescope
that will give astronomers the best possible view of space. The controversy lies with the
Hawaiian natives, because they see Mauna Kea as a sacred ground that has already been
intruded upon and there needs to be an end to the corruption.
The Protesting:
Currently there are mass gatherings with thousands of people protesting
the telescopes construction at Mauna Kea. The TMT International
Observatory has the support of Governor Ige but not the people.

The protests have delayed construction of the telescope and has brought
awareness to the issue. People, in support of the protests, have put flags on
their trucks, and joined the protest elsewhere in solidarity.

Although the protests have successfully halted production and brought

awareness to the topic, 64 people have been arrested so far, most being
Hawaiian elders. This is due to the fact that Governor Ige allowed
authorities to oversee the protests and take action if needed.
Solutions:
An alternate location/solution for the Thirty Meter Telescope
issue is in La Palma, on the Canary Islands in Spain called
Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos. The TIO board
decided this to be the alternate location in 2016, due to the fact
that it is still in the Northern Hemisphere and there would be
full coverage of the sky.

It is important to at least try and find another solution that

benefits both parties. That being said, Mauna Kea is sacred
land to Native Hawaiians and their history and culture should
be respected. TIO has yet to respect the ceded land, and has
continued to try and build TMT on Mauna Kea. The issue is
their lack of respect for Hawaiian history and culture, which is
what is important.
Works cited
Broder Van Dyke, Michelle. “A New Hawaiian Renaissance’: How a Telescope Protest Became a Movement.” The Guardian, 17

Aug. 2019, www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/16/hawaii-telescope-protest-mauna-kea.

And one, Dakin, et al. “'This Is Our Last Stand.' Protesters on Mauna Kea Dig in Their Heels.” CNN, 22 July 2019, 9:22,

www.cnn.com/2019/07/21/us/hawaii-mauna-kea-protests/index.html.

Zaveri, Mihir. “Hawaiian Elders Protesting Telescope Construction Are Arrested.” The New York Times, The New York Times,

18 July 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/07/17/science/mauna-kea-protest.html.

“TMT Alternate Site: Observatorio Del Roque De Los Muchachos.” TMT , TIO, Dec. 2016,

https://www.tmt.org/download/Document/4/original.