Mauna Kea summit planning

From dKosopedia

Mauna Kea is the highest volcanic peak in the state of Hawaii. Located on the 'Big Island' of Hawaii, Mauna Kea is one of the five volcanic peaks that make up the island. From its base on the sea floor to its summit Mauna Kea rises 5.6 miles in height.

From the University of Hawaii's Institute of Astronomy's website:

There are currently thirteen working telescopes near the summit of Mauna Kea. Nine of them are for optical and infrared astronomy, three of them are for submillimeter wavelength astronomy and one is for radio astronomy. They include the largest optical/infrared telescopes in the world (the Keck telescopes), the largestdedicated infrared telescope (UKIRT) and the largest submillimeter telescope in the world (the JCMT). The westernmost antenna of the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) is situated at a lower altitude two miles from the summit.

Mauna Kea is unique as an astronomical observing site. The atmosphere above the mountain is extremely dry -- which is important in measuring infrared and submillimeter radiation from celestial sources - and cloud-free, so that the proportion of clear nights is among the highest in the world. The exceptional stability of the atmosphere above Mauna Kea permits more detailed studies than are possible elsewhere, while its distance from city lights and a strong island-wide lighting ordinance ensure an extremely dark sky, allowing observation of the faintest galaxies that lie at the very edge of the observable Universe. A tropical inversion cloud layer about 600 meters (2,000 ft) thick, well below the summit, isolates the upper atmosphere from the lower moist maritime air and ensures that the summit skies are pure, dry, and free from atmospheric pollutants.

Starting in the 1960s, the UH Institute for Astronomy provided the scientific impetus for the development of Mauna Kea into the world's premier site for ground-based astronomical observatories. More major telescopes are now located on Mauna Kea than on any other single mountain peak, and Mauna Kea is widely recognized as offering better conditions for optical, infrared and millimeter/submillimeter measurements than any other developed site.

The University of Hawaii has a lease from the State of Hawaii for all land within a 2.5-mile radius of the site of the UH 2.2-m Telescope - essentially all of the land above 3,700 meters (12,000 ft) elevation - except for the portions of this circular area which lie within the Mauna Kea Ice Age Natural Area Reserve. The leased land is known as the Mauna Kea Science Reserve. The adoption of the Mauna Kea Science Reserve Master Plan by the University of Hawai'i Board of Regents in June 2000 marked a critical milestone in the management of Mauna Kea. Meetings and public hearings spanning a period of nearly two years went into the formulation of the Master Plan, which establishes management guidelines for the next 20 years. The process reflected the community's deeply rooted concerns over the use of Mauna Kea, including respect for Hawaiian cultural beliefs, protection of environmentally sensitive habitat, recreational use of the mountain, as well as astronomy research. Management of the summit area is now the responsibility of the Office of Mauna Kea Management in Hilo. [1]

Opposition to observatories

There is opposition to the use of the summit Mauna Kea for astronomy. Native Hawaiians who view the summit as sacred and others have been battling with the scientific community for more than a decade.

Early efforts called for a moratorium on telescope development. Opinions now span the gamut from halting future telescope development to removal of existing facilities once leases are up.