The first telescope was removed from the controversial astronomy center on the Hawaiian volcano

For the first time, a telescope on the Hawaiian volcano Maunakea has been completely dismantled – it was dismantled, removed and its place was restored to its previous conditions. The effort comes under an agreement between the University of Hawaii and Maunakea Administration and Oversight Authoritydesigned to ease tensions over the construction of a new telescope on the mountain: the Thirty Meter Telescope.

Since the 1960s, 13 telescopes have been built at Maunakea, a site that is sacred to the indigenous people of the Hawaiian Islands because it is where the earth meets the sky. As such, any new Maunakea observatory has been met with concern by protesters who believe that building new telescopes on this volcanic mountain is sacrilegious. However, the astronomical community, has fought to find a balance between their scientific research plans and the needs of the indigenous Hawaiian culture. That’s because Maunakea offers uniquely pristine sky viewing conditions. Things came to a head with protests against the planned Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), which, if built, would be the second largest telescope in the world – and the largest on Maunakea.

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Image Source : www.space.com

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