Will TMT be built in Hawaii?

As TMT Works To Build On Mauna Kea, Two Telescopes Are Coming Down. Meanwhile, the Thirty Meter Telescope team is still seeking funding and continuing work on the project that stalled in 2019. The project faces legal challenges at an alternate site in Spain’s Canary Islands, as well as here in Hawaii.

How can we help protect Mauna Kea?

Here are some key ways you can take action to support Mauna Kea:

1. Tell partners to pull out of Mauna Kea project.
2. Donate to organizations/ land protectors on the ground fighting for Mauna Kea:
3. Attend solidarity events to take action alongside organizers:

Why are Hawaiians resisting having another telescope on Mauna Kea?

Native Hawaiians have long resisted the project on Mauna Kea for many reasons: Activists say construction there violates indigenous rights, threatens Mauna Kea’s fragile ecosystem, and is an affront to Native Hawaiian cultural and religious traditions.

Why are they protesting in Hawaii?

The Thirty Meter Telescope protests are a series of protests and demonstrations that began on the Island of Hawaii over the choosing of Mauna Kea for the site location of the Thirty Meter Telescope.

How will TMT benefit Hawaii?

TMT provides a number of economic benefits for Hawaii, including: Paying $300,000 annual lease rent, which will increase incrementally to $1 million when it’s operational; 80\% goes towards the stewardship of Maunakea and 20\% to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

How do Hawaiians feel about TMT?

Of the Native Hawaiians surveyed in the poll conducted earlier this month, 48\% said they oppose the TMT, while 44\% support it.

What is happening with the TMT?

What’s happening: Construction of the TMT has been stalled since about 2015, when protests on the mountain blocked equipment. The protests also forced those pushing to build the telescope to reevaluate their plans and work more closely with the Native Hawaiian community to find a potential path forward for the project.

Why is TMT important?

The Thirty Meter Telescope is a new class of extremely large telescopes that will allow us to see deeper into space and observe cosmic objects with unprecedented sensitivity. When operational, TMT will provide new observational opportunities in essentially every field of astronomy and astrophysics.

What is TMT on Mauna Kea?

The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) is an under-construction extremely large telescope (ELT) that has become controversial due to its planned location on Mauna Kea, on the island of Hawaii. The TMT would become the largest visible-light telescope on Mauna Kea. Scientists have been considering ELTs since the mid 1980s.

Why is Mauna Kea so important to Hawaiians?

Mauna Kea is sacred to the Native Hawaiians and is the zenith of their ancestral ties to creation. It is the home of Na Akua (divine deities) and Na’Aumakua (divine ancestors) as well as the meeting place of Papa (Earth Mother) and Wakea (Sky Father) who are progenitors of the Hawaiian people.