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Mauna Kea is a holy site, say protesters (Image: AP Photo/Anne Keala Kelly)

Sarah Ballard studies exoplanets for a living, so like many other astronomers around the world she鈥檚 eager to see the (the TMT for short) go into operation in the early 2020s. With a light-collecting mirror nine times larger than the ones on the twin Keck Telescopes, currently the world鈥檚 most powerful, the TMT will revolutionise the search for Earth-like worlds around other stars, and be able to peer to the very edges of the visible universe.

But , an astronomer at the University of Washington, in Seattle, is conflicted. A group of indigenous Hawaiians are determined that the TMT won鈥檛 be built. They鈥檙e incensed by the telescope鈥檚 location perched on top of the extinct volcano Mauna Kea, on the Big Island of Hawaii 鈥� a After an increasingly vocal series of protests that have landed 31 activists in jail, Hawaii鈥檚 governor, David Ige, issued a week-long moratorium on construction to all for 鈥渇urther dialogue鈥� between the protesters and the telescope builders.

Construction criticism

It鈥檚 not the first time native Hawaiians have been upset by the powerful telescopes dotted around the ash fields on the mountain鈥檚 4200-metre summit 鈥� two Kecks, the Subaru, the Gemini and a host of smaller instruments. But in the past, the rest of the world has remained largely unaware.

That鈥檚 no longer the case, thanks to the , a campaign on and several blogs. 鈥淏ack in the day, we had the LA Times writing about us,鈥� says , part of a , 鈥渂ut now we have social media.鈥�

And thanks to Ballard, astronomers are now aware of the issue as well. She learned about the controversy from Keolu Fox, a native Hawaiian friend who studies genomics technology at the University of Washington. Ballard posted a summary of what he had told her on the , setting off a long and remarkably receptive comment thread.

Not every scientist feels conflicted. 鈥淚f we were talking about putting a coal-fired power plant or a factory or something up there, I鈥檇 be the first to say 鈥榟old on鈥�,鈥� says , an astronomer at the University of California, Los Angeles, who uses big telescopes to study the outer solar system. 鈥淏ut we鈥檙e not. Astronomy is about as pure and as clean as you can get, so what鈥檚 the big deal?鈥�

The Thirty Meter Telescope will allow astronomers to peer to the very edges of the visible universe (Image: TMT Observatory Corporation)

Ballard is less sure. 鈥淔rom talking with Keolu, it does seem like there鈥檚 something unjust about TMT as it鈥檚 currently being constructed. It seems to me that the Hawaiian people are not being intrinsically unreasonable.鈥�

Part of the problem may also be that the TMT feels like the final straw for a people who have been treated pretty shabbily in the past 鈥� from the exploitation of their resources by Western imperialists to a US-backed coup that overthrew the Hawaiian kingdom鈥檚 last Queen, Lili驶uokalani, in 1893, leading to US annexation of the islands a few years later. 鈥淥ur culture is dying,鈥� says Fox. 鈥淏y 2040, there won鈥檛 be any pure Hawaiian people left on planet Earth.鈥�

Given that history, it鈥檚 perhaps not so surprising that native Hawaiians are rallying to protest against the largest construction project to date on top of their sacred mountain. They also insist that the TMT project does not comply with environmental regulations. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a watershed area,鈥� says Piscotta. 鈥淭here are pretty clear rules about building there.鈥� The company building TMT has ignored these rules, she says. That鈥檚 largely the basis for the group鈥檚 legal challenges.

Impact statement

But most of the protesters鈥� complaints have taken Sandra Dawson, TMT鈥檚 Hawaii Community Affairs representative, by surprise. 鈥淲e chose a site that has no archaeological shrines, has not been the site of cultural practices, and isn鈥檛 visible from distance of holy sites,鈥� she says.

Dawson also disputes the accusation that the company has flouted environmental regulations. 鈥淚鈥檝e been told we had one of the most thorough environmental impact statement processes ever.鈥� The TMT had not just environmental scientists involved, but also historians and indigenous religious practitioners she says.

鈥淲hen the statement was completed, no one challenged it. 鈥淲e thought that by having all the meetings we had over last seven years, many of them in indigenous Hawaiian communities, the information would get out. We now know that that鈥檚 not the case. We鈥檙e going to work harder to make that happen.鈥�

Despite the protests gaining attention around the world, it鈥檚 hard to imagine that the TMT project, which is budgeted at more than $1 billion and which is backed by a long list of major research universities, will not be built.

But the controversy has forced a lot of astronomers to think hard about issues they鈥檝e rarely confronted in the past. 鈥淚鈥檓 nervous about the effects of speaking out might have on my career,鈥� says Ballard, who is searching for faculty jobs. 鈥淚鈥檓 afraid of rocking the boat. But I鈥檝e also been nervous speaking up about sexual harassment. Just being afraid isn鈥檛 sufficient reason to stay silent.鈥�

Update 11 April: An earlier version of this story included a quote from a closed Facebook group. Some of the group鈥檚 members were upset at its use, so this quote has been removed. New 杏吧原创 has reached out to the group directly for further comment.