These studies would eventually become the Thirty Meter Telescope. The California Extremely Large Telescope (CELT) began development, along with the Giant Magellan Telescope, the Giant Segmented Mirror Telescope (GSMT), and the Very Large Optical Telescope (VLOT). The University of California, along with Caltech, began development of a 30-meter telescope that same year. The US National Academy of Sciences made a suggestion that a 30-meter (100') telescope should be the focus of US astronomy interests and recommended that it be built within the decade. The technology to build a mirror larger than 8.4 meters (28') does not exist instead scientists considered two methods: either segmented smaller mirrors as used in the Keck Observatory, or a group of 8-meter (26') mirrors mounted to form a single unit. In 2000, astronomers began considering the potential of telescopes larger than 20 meters (65') in diameter. Several alternative sites for the Thirty Meter Telescope have been proposed. In October 2018, the Court approved the resumption of construction, however no further construction has occurred due to continued opposition. The Board of Land and Natural Resources approved the TMT project, but the Supreme Court of Hawaii invalidated the building permits in December 2015, ruling that the board had not followed due process. In 2015, Governor David Ige announced several changes to the management of Mauna Kea, including a requirement that the TMT's site will be the last new site on Mauna Kea to be developed for a telescope. When construction of the telescope was set to resume, construction was blocked by further protests each time. The telescope has government-level support from several nations.ĭemonstrations attracted press coverage after October 2014, when construction was temporarily halted due to a blockade of the roadway. The TMT will be at the highest altitude of all the proposed ELTs. The TMT is designed for near-ultraviolet to mid-infrared (0.31 to 28 μm wavelengths) observations, featuring adaptive optics to assist in correcting image blur. Due to its light-gathering power and the optimal observing conditions which exist atop Mauna Kea, the TMT would enable astronomers to conduct research which is infeasible with current instruments. Scientists at the University of California, Santa Cruz and Caltech began development of a design that would eventually become the TMT, consisting of a 492-segment primary mirror with nine times the power of the Keck Observatory. interests, seeking to see it built within the decade. The US National Academy of Sciences recommended a 30-meter (100') telescope be the focus of U.S. In 2000, astronomers considered the possibility of a telescope with a light-gathering mirror larger than 20 meters (65') in diameter, using either small segments that create one large mirror, or a grouping of larger 8-meter (26') mirrors working as one unit. Scientists have been considering ELTs since the mid 1980s. The TMT would become the largest visible-light telescope on Mauna Kea. The Thirty Meter Telescope ( TMT) is a planned extremely large telescope (ELT) that has become controversial due to its location on Mauna Kea, on the island of Hawaiʻi.
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