Mauna Kea, the Sacred

[TomK]

I was at a conference this week and although it was not about the TMT there was a talk about site testing for the TMT. In summary they considered several superb sites around the world and even included places that would currently be considered particularly unsafe (read Middle East) yet despite this chose Mauna Kea. I have to admit my surprise at how many sites were tested but also good to know that we have the best one here on this island (some of us knew this already!).

It was also clear from the talk that this seems to be more than a simple choice, rather it's now a commitment. Having said that, other options are still open and although not addressed in the talk, the obvious alternative is certainly more hospitable to the TMT even if it's not the best option scientifically speaking.

Lots of other things were discussed in the meeting. One thing that's clearly going to happen is that fewer astronomers and night crews will be visiting the summit over the next few years (that also means less money coming into the island from elsewhere). They are already vastly outnumbered by the number of tourists up there each evening and the tourist/astronomer ratio will increase markedly. I haven't heard much from those opposed to the telescopes what their thoughts are about the increasing tourist traffic and potential damage that does to the summit area. I'm curious if they want to shut that down as well.

Tom


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