We Support TMT - Please sign the petition

[kalakoa]

Pisces is another project that benefits Hawaii high school students interested in science and math.

Exactly: it's not a batting cage, or temporary building, or other "critical" project.

This is the same legislature that thinks the College of Pharmacy should be on Oahu -- which makes me think their bias is anti-Big-Island rather than anti-science generally.

Maybe the TMT could be built on Maui or Oahu -- yes, these locations aren't as "well-suited", but are they also "sacred"? More generally: is there anything that can be built anywhere without protests about "desecration"?

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

is there anything that can be built anywhere without protests about "desecration"?

There were similar protests 10 or 15 years ago over a large telescope built on Maui. Many of the same arguments that the Maui activists used, are being used by the Mauna Kea protestors:


Native Hawaiian activists plan to protest the decision, charging the telescope would defile a mountain they consider sacred.

Charles Kauluwehi Maxwell Sr. said the telescope was unnecessary, ugly and extremely disrespectful to Hawaiian culture. He called on Native Hawaiians to lay down in front of construction equipment with him to prevent the telescope from being built.

"There's enough junk up there already to completely annihilate the spirituality of Haleakala," Maxwell said.
http://www.dailybulletin.com/general-new...scope-site

PAUKUKALO – Hawaiian voices were unanimous Monday night in opposing the National Science Foundation's plan for an enormous telescope atop Haleakala, but it turns out that even the most united effort might not be able to stop the project.

Just minutes earlier, the audience at the Paukukalo Community Center had learned that all its testimony protesting the proposed 14-story-tall telescope at the summit of the mountain might not make a difference in the end. National Science Foundation attorney Charisse Carney-Nunes acknowledged that while "consultation" with Native Hawaiians was required by federal law, "concurrence" – agreement – was not.

Maxwell said he remains opposed to the telescope, but he's unsuccessfully tried to halt the construction of two earlier telescopes.

"If they're going to build it, give us something in return," said Maxwell, who suggested that developers build a traditional Hawaiian navigation and astronomy center for the community should the telescope be funded.
http://www.moolelo.com/haleakala-protest-solar.html

[opihikao]

Aloha kakahiaka all!

This picture on top of Mauna Kea is fantastic! Had to share (if you put your curser on the pic, it shows descriptions):

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150511.html

JMO.

[Rob Tucker]

Wow.

Mahalo.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Thanks opihikao -
Incredible!

[SBH]

Mahalo nui loa Opihikao, beautiful! Looks like a pretty sacred place to me.

[leilanidude]

"If they're going to build it, give us something in return," said Maxwell, ..."

Sure sounds like its all about the money. Stick out your hand and grab the $.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

quote:

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Originally posted by pahoated
you will never see this in reality

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I can't tell you how often I've thought that lately.

[TomK]

Fantastic panorama, Opihikao, thank for posting it! Not sure what PT is going on about, there's very little star trailing (there are some optical aberrations from the camera optics seen in the brighter stars) and there's no need to use a filter to brighten the lighting from below - that's how it looks from that location when the cloud is the way it is in that picture.

Hate to point this out though, the panorama is not from the summit. It's from a location just above the VIS. It does show you how wonderful the night sky can appear even from that location!

[dmbwest]

Maybe this mentality,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sLhmdD3Ioo

aloha,
pog