A glimpse into the past: MK astronomy

[TomK]

Images from UKIRT are being presented at a major astronomical meeting in the UK this week:

http://goo.gl/js65T3

You can look at some of the data, zoom in and move around via this link:

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/astronomy/UD...llery.html

[TomK]

More press releases from the National Astronomy Meeting which involve telescopes in Hawaii:

Jupiter:

https://nam2016.org/press-releases/86-gl...-s-arrival

Early Universe:

https://nam2016.org/press-releases/85-cr...-embargoed

[PaulW]

Great stuff. This Jupiter visit should be amazing.

[TomK]

We're planning to make some mid-infrared observations in October, possibly early November, in support of the Juno mission.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

A thread titled "A glimpse into the past" might be a good place to post the discovery of a 6000 year old telescope-like structure in Portugal. Older than Stonehenge, older than the pyramids:

Astronomers are exploring ancient tombs in Portugal that they believe may have been used by prehistoric humans to enhance specific views of the night skies... “These structures could therefore have been the first astronomical tools to support the watching of the skies, millennia before telescopes were invented,” the Royal Astronomical Society wrote in an statement announcing the research on Wednesday.

Near the end of the article the author makes an observation about our perspective toward viewing the heavens today:

Telescopes have now become sacred structures in their own right. Today they’re built like temples—solitary monuments on towering mountaintops.

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/ar...pe/489362/

“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.”
-Joseph Brodsky

[AKpilot]

Introduced old school "Cosmos" to the Husband last week....first time he ever saw it. Steered me toward the sky as a child! To this day I always think of Sagan when I see a dandelion seed floating along.

Aren't the heavens
amazing?!

AKpilot

We're all here, because we're not all there!

[TomK]

"Telescopes have now become sacred structures in their own right. Today they’re built like temples—solitary monuments on towering mountaintops.

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/ar...pe/489362/"

Personally, I think that's a silly and overreaching claim and likely a journalist just finding something to say at the end of their article. No telescope is sacred and the comparison to temples is bizarre. Temples are places that are devoted to the worship of a god. Modern telescopes aren't albeit those built thousands of years ago might have been.

[opihikao]

quote:

---

Originally posted by TomK

"Telescopes have now become sacred structures in their own right. Today they’re built like temples—solitary monuments on towering mountaintops.

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/ar...pe/489362/"

Personally, I think that's a silly and overreaching claim and likely a journalist just finding something to say at the end of their article. No telescope is sacred and the comparison to temples is bizarre. Temples are places that are devoted to the worship of a god. Modern telescopes aren't albeit those built thousands of years ago might have been.

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Aloha ahiahi, Mr. Tom, and all. EO!, Sir. Thank you.

As the title of this thread is "A glimpse into the past: MK astronomy", many of us have brothers, cousins, uncles, and even Kupuna, who helped pave the path to assist in the early days of astronomy on Mauna Kea (aka/fka "Mauna a Wakea"). We all know what is "sacred" and what is "allowed to be traversed", with permission (today, it's apparently State/Federal "permission"; Kupuna teaching is different).

As we know, the statutory statement in Article 12; Section 7, allows for the combining of culture and astronomy. Please remember there are Kupuna iwi (bones/remains) in certain areas of Mauna Kea/Mauna a Wakea (each family should know where their Kupuna are buried; Burial Counsel can help. Sorry, TMI).

Many, many, stories of the old days of Mauna Kea, including folklore of our own "Poliahu". Much like, her sister, Pele (with the geothermal plant in "her territory"), if Poliahu didn't want telescopes up there, they would not exist. (FWIW)

E 'ike I Ka Nani A'O Poliahu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsbgN1BeyYI

There are times I wish we could post some pictures, as many of our extended ohana have (on both sides of the current Mauna Kea issue) really great old, old pictures and stories. Yes, the "Crown Lands", afforded the opportunity we have today. Here is a good link to a "glimpse into the past" on Mauna Kea:


(University of Hawaii Documentation - 1964-1970+):

https://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/ifa/history.shtml

Most of us Hawaiians/Kanaka Maoli appreciate science, and the purpose of telescopes. Finding the balance between cultural rights, and science is forthcoming (wearing rose colored glasses again. [8D])

If everything is deemed "sacred"; let us treat all things as such. Mr. Tom, our views may differ on occasion, but you lend to the "balance" we all should be striving for. Mahalo.

JMO.



P.S. (Mr. Tom) Apologies for my comment on another thread, however, I will now "censor" what mo'opuna read, Sir. Oh, AKPilot, what is a "Sagan", please, and thank you. [?])

[TomK]

Opihikao,

I'll need to reread your post when I'm not so tired (we've been dealing with a serious technical problem over what was supposed to be a holiday weekend), but I cannot find any way to define a telescope as "sacred". That really was my only point.

However, the more people say something is sacred the more the definition gets watered down and instead gets used for political and subjective purposes. I prefer to stick with the strict definition of sacred, which is very much related to religion and a god, and is not science.

[TomK]

PS. Sagan = Carl Sagan.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Sagan

AKpilot was referring to the original series of Cosmos.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmos:_A_Personal_Voyage