The decision, which was made on Friday, clears the way for the group managing the Thirty Meter Telescope project to negotiate a sublease for land with the University of Hawaii. The telescope would be able to observe planets that orbit stars other than the Sun and would enable astronomers to watch new planets and stars being formed. It should also help scientists see about 13 billion light-years away for a glimpse of the early years of the universe.
Construction costs are expected to top $1 billion. The University of California system, the California Institute of Technology and the Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy are leading the project. China, India and Japan have signed on to be partners.
The telescope’s segmented primary mirror, which is nearly 100 feet long, will give it nine times the collecting area of the largest optical telescopes in use today. Its images will also be three times sharper.
Some Native Hawaiian groups had petitioned against the project, arguing that it would defile the mountain’s sacred summit. Tradition holds that high altitudes are sacred and are a gateway to heaven. In the past, only high chiefs and priests were allowed at Mauna Kea’s summit.
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