Skip to main content

Hawaii’s Supreme Court suspends construction of the world’s largest optical telescope

Oops! We couldn't load this video player
Hawaii’s highest court has officially suspended construction of the world’s largest optical telescope atop the state’s sacred Mauna Kea volcano — a project that has been met with much opposition since it was first announced in 2009. Citing an improper issuing of the construction permit, the court halted the build to allow opponents of the telescope an opportunity to formally present their disputes. Though thirteen other telescopes call Mauna Kea home, native Hawaiians were reportedly unhappy about yet another telescope intruding on what’s considered holy.

Described in 2013 as “another important step forward for the future of astronomical discovery and economic opportunity” for Hawaii, the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) was poised to become the most advanced telescope in the world. Once built, the $1 billion TMT would not only have nine times the collecting area of typical optical telescopes, but would also boast the ability to observe objects and light from 13 billion years ago. Basically, this thing was going to be able to peer into our universe’s early years “finding answers to many of the grand challenges of science.”

Artist rendering of the TMT complex
Artist rendering of the TMT complex TMT

For the TMT and its supporters (aka scientists), those days were about as good as it got. From the get go, activists and local groups frequently spoke out about the potentially negative impact construction of such a telescope would have on the surrounding environment. Moreover, many were uneasy at the prospect of damaging centuries of Hawaiian culture despite reassurances the project would exercise “responsible development and environmental stewardship of Mauna Kea.”

Recommended Videos

In the face of protest, construction of the telescope still managed to move forward. However, just this past April scores of protesters took to the build site and successfully halted its construction while activists took the fight to Hawaii’s high courts. After much deliberation, the courts ruled the permits awarded to the construction team were improperly issued, and called for an immediate production delay of the TMT.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

“The Board of Land and Natural Resources issued the University of Hawai’i at Hilo a permit to construct a 180-foot astronomical observatory within a conservation district on Mauna Kea over objections of Native Hawaiians and others, who sought a contested case hearing to fully assess the effects of the project prior to making a decision of whether to issue the permit,” said Justice Richard Pollack in his concurring opinion. “The Board’s procedure of holding a contested case hearing after the permit has already been issued does not comply with our case of law…nor with due process under the Hawai’i Constitution.”

TMT's proposed location on Mauna Kea
TMT’s proposed location on Mauna Kea TMT

Though the project could still move forward after going through the required hearing processes, this is no doubt a massive win for TMT’s opponents. Contested cases could take years to sift through, and there’s also no guarantee construction permits will be reissued once the cases conclude. Despite tasting temporary defeat, TMT’s chair of the board Henry Yang gave his thanks for the court’s ruling, saying he respected the decision it made.

“We thank the Hawaii Supreme Court for the timely ruling and we respect their decision,” said Yang. “We are assessing our next steps on the way forward. We appreciate and thank the people of Hawaii and our supporters from these last eight-plus years.”

As of now, it’s unknown when Hawaiian courts plan on hearing contested cases, though the halt in construction almost certainly pushes the TMT’s operation date past the original estimation of 2024.

Rick Stella
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Rick became enamored with technology the moment his parents got him an original NES for Christmas in 1991. And as they say…
Watch this surreal aurora footage captured from the space station
An aurora as seen from the space station 250 miles above Earth.

One of the highlights for astronauts who spend time aboard the International Space Station (ISS) is the chance to enjoy breathtaking aurora from some 250 miles above Earth.

The space station’s X account has just shared some stunning footage showing an aurora captured by a camera on the ISS as it traveled over Canada, from west to east.

Read more
Euclid telescope spots a rare Einstein Ring in a nearby galaxy
Euclid image of a bright Einstein ring around galaxy NGC 6505

The Euclid Space Telescope has captured a remarkable image showing an extremely rare phenomenon: a ring of light around the center of a galaxy, known as an Einstein Ring. These structures appear in telescope images due to the distorting effects of gravity, and they allow researchers to study distant galaxies which might otherwise be insibile.

The ring was spotted around the center of galaxy NGC 6505, located in our cosmic back yard at just 590 million light-years from Earth. The ring itself is created by light from a background galaxy which is a whopping 4.42 billion light-years away, and which has been distorted into the ring shape due to the mass of the foreground galaxy. This effect, called gravitational lensing, is not uncommon -- but it is rare for the galaxies to be aligned just so, to create a perfect ring of light.

Read more
Watch NASA’s ‘launch to splashdown’ video for Artemis II lunar mission
An animation of NASA's SLS rocket heading skyward.

NASA has released a detailed animation (above) showing how the Artemis II mission will look from launch to splashdown.

The Artemis II mission is currently scheduled to launch from Florida's Space Coast in early 2026 and will fly four astronauts around the moon before returning to Earth. The highly anticipated mission will last about 10 days and will be the first crewed test flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, and the Orion spacecraft.

Read more