Thirty Meter Telescope Controversy – Free PDF Download

EVENT HORIZON TELESCOPE

THIRTY METER TELESCOPE

The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) is a proposed astronomical observatory with an extremely large telescope (ELT) that has become the source of controversy over its planned location on Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii in the US state of Hawaii.

 TULSI GABBARD

• Tulsi Gabbard is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Hawaii’s 2nd congressional district since 2013. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Following her election in 2012, she became the first Samoan American and the first Hindu member of the United States Congress.

MAUNA KEA

• A dormant volcano on the island of Hawaii. Its peak is 4,207.3 m (13,803 ft) above sea level, making it the highest point in the state of Hawaii. Most of the volcano is underwater, and when measured from its oceanic base, Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world, measuring over 10,000 m (33,000 ft) in height. Mauna Kea is about a million years old HAWAIIAN MYTHOLOGY In Hawaiian mythology, the peaks of the island of Hawaii are sacred. An ancient law allowed only highranking aliʻi to visit its peak.

ABOUT MOUNA KEA

• With its high elevation, dry environment, and stable airflow, Mauna Kea’s summit is one of the best sites in the world for astronomical observation. Since the creation of an access road in 1964, thirteen telescopes funded by eleven countries have been constructed near the summit. The Mauna Kea Observatories are used for scientific research across the electromagnetic spectrum and comprise the largest such facility in the world.

PROPOSED LOCATIONS

1. Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain
2. Cerro Armazones, Antofagasta Region, Republic of Chile
3. Cerro Tolanchar, Antofagasta Region, Republic of Chile
4. Cerro Tolar, Antofagasta Region, Republic of Chile
5. Mauna Kea, Hawaii, United States (This site was chosen and approval granted in April 2013)
6. San Pedro Mártir, Baja California, Mexico 7. Hanle, Jammu and Kashmir, India

BASICS ABOUT PROTESTS

• The TMT will be a much larger and more extensive facility than any observatory that’s come before it. Its design calls for a dome that’s 180 feet tall, about the same height as Aloha Tower on Oahu.
• The dome’s diameter measures 216 feet, with a shutter ― the opening for the telescope to peer through ― measuring about 100 feet wide.

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