Solar astronomers hope giant telescope will get green light

Nature : The US National Solar Observatory (NSO) is working with an officially appointed arbiter to resolve challenges to building the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST) on the summit of Haleakala, the highest mountain on the Hawaiian island of Maui. The ATST would have twice the aperture of existing solar telescopes and an improved resolution that would allow observation of solar features heretofore not directly observable, such as magnetic flux tubes, the precursors to sunspots. The coronal loops and flares that can cause geomagnetic storms arise from sunspots; such storms can disrupt communication networks, spacecraft, and the power grid. One argument in favor of the observatory is that the ATST meets a societal need. But there are potential negative consequences of building on Haleakala. The Hawaiian petrel, an endangered seabird, nests near the proposed site, and some native Hawaiians believe that the telescope’s stark white enclosure will scar a sacred area. The builders of the NSO have said they will do all they can to minimize the impact of construction on the site.