Thirty Meter Telescope Finally Nears Permit
The Big Island of Hawaii has perhaps the best astronomical seeing conditions in the Northern Hemisphere, and the University of California system and Caltech have a $1.4 billion plan to build the world's largest telescope there. The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) would open up an unprecedented window into the early history of the Universeand other unknown wonders. But some native Hawaiians do not want further telescopes built on the sacred summit of Mauna Kea, which at nearly 14,000 feet is the highest point in the chain of Pacific Islands.