The Thirty Meter Telescope has been under development for more than a
decade, but the sheer amount of land needed on Hawaii's Mauna Kea for
its namesake main mirror has proved problematic: locals have formally
challenged the multi-university effort over concerns that it might
damage both the environment and natives' heritage. Regardless of which
stance you take on the issue, the project is going forward now that the
state's Board of Land and Natural Resources has granted an official land
permit. The move clears an optical and
near-infrared
telescope with nine times the coverage area of its peers, and three
times the sharpness. That's enough to observe light from 13 billion
years ago as well as put a heavy focus on tracking extrasolar planets,
including planets in the making. Any impact on science or Mauna Kea will
have to wait when construction doesn't even start until April 2014,
although we're hoping that environmental care requirements attached to
the permit will let us appreciate both the
early universe and modern-day Earth in equal measure.
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