The Thirty Meter Telescope Will Transfer To A Different Location Making Way To Hawaiians' Religious Belief

The world's largest telescope used as one of the observatories is supposed to be built in Hawaii. Now, the indigenous people opposed this idea, because the location where the telescope should be built is believed to be sacred. The scientists now are facing a challenge of how to build this and even has the option to eventually relocate.

The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) is a 1.4 billion dollar project with high hopes for the scientists to study the early universe and to associate the Earth into the atmosphere of exoplanets. However, the current location in Hawaii has been opposed by the indigenous group as they consider the place to be sacred. Giving the respect to the people, the TMT board considers a site in the Canary Islands in Spain as a potential alternative, according to Next Big Future.

The Thirty Meter Telescope is one of a raft of big observatories together with the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) and space-based James Webb telescope, built to serve astronomy into the 2020s and in the far future, according to BBC news.

However, opposing groups of the construction of observatories atop Mauna Kea have existed for decades. Majority Native Hawaiians, the Mauna Kea is considered the most sacred mountain of all the mountains found on the island. It has a certain connection to their religious divinity. The development of the mountain considered being a blasphemy for the religious groups. Not only that, other groups that are against the project stands for the environmental and conservation side.

Meanwhile, given the fact that the indigenous groups in Hawaii will never allow the TMT to be built on their sacred land, the board explores all possible locations. Chairman of the TMT international observatory board, Henry Yang said that "The TMT International Observatory (TIO) Board of Governors has explored a number of alternative sites for TMT. Every site we considered would enable TMT's core science programs."

Henry Yang added, "After careful deliberation, the board of governors has identified Observatorio del Roque de Los Muchachos (ORM) on La Palma in the Canary Islands, Spain, as the primary alternative to Hawaii."