TMT construction begins Monday 15 July

[TomK]

As far as Hawaii is concerned, the TMT project has been dead for a decade. It won't be built here, and I've said that for several years now. It may still be built elsewhere, but that will end the Hawaiian connection. As for the China telescope, so what? A 48-foot diameter optical-infrared telescope would undoubtedly be larger than the twin Kecks or Subaru on MK, but hardly competitive with the TMT if it gets built or the GMT and ELT, the latter still being built. In addition, where would China build its telescope? It's not as if China is renowned for great observing sites, and the site itself is super important. You can build the largest telescope in the world, put it in the wrong place, and it ends up as a useless piece of junk. Russia/USSR discovered this years ago.