Hawaii to gain Thirty Meter Telescope

Physics Today : Mauna Kea in Hawaii will be the site of the new Thirty Meter Telescope. The TMT will be the most advanced telescope ever constructed and make use of the latest innovations in precision control, segmented mirror design, and adaptive optics to correct for the blurring effect of Earth’s atmosphere. The 30-meter primary mirror is composed of 492 segments, giving the TMT nine times the collecting area of today’s largest optical telescopes.

When completed in 2018, the TMT will enable astronomers to detect and study light from the earliest stars and galaxies, analyze the formation of planets around nearby stars, and test many of the fundamental laws of physics. The location was picked by conducting a global satellite survey for the best location, which was narrowed down to five sites for further ground-based studies of atmospheric stability, wind patterns, temperature variation, and other meteorological characteristics. Last year the five sites were narrowed down to two—Mauna Kea and Cerro Armazones in Chile—for further evaluation and environmental, financial, and cultural impact studies.

“It was clear from all the information we received that both sites were among the best in the world for astronomical research,” said Edward Stone, Caltech’s Morrisroe Professor of Physics and vice chairman of the TMT board. “Each has superb observing conditions and would enable TMT to achieve its full potential of unlocking the mysteries of the Universe.”

“In the final analysis, the board selected Mauna Kea as the site for TMT. The atmospheric conditions, low average temperatures, and very low humidity will open an exciting new discovery space using adaptive optics and infrared observations. Working in concert with the partners’ existing facilities on Mauna Kea will further expand the opportunities for discoveries,” said Stone.

Before construction can begin on Mauna Kea, the TMT must submit and have approved an application for a Conservation District Use Permit (CDUP) to the Hawaiian Department of Land and Natural Resources. The TMT project is an international partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and ACURA, an organization of Canadian universities. The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) joined TMT as a Collaborating Institution in 2008.

The TMT project has completed its $77 million design development phase with primary financial support of $50 million from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and $22 million from Canada. The project has now entered the early construction phase thanks to an additional $200 million pledge from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Caltech and the University of California have agreed to raise matching funds of $50 million to bring the construction total to $300 million, and the Canadian partners propose to supply the enclosure, the telescope structure, and the first light adaptive optics.