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CNN: Science and religion fight over Hawaii's highest point


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http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/27/us/tmt-hawaii-telescope-controversy/index.html?eref=rss_tech

 

 

 

Mauna Kea, Hawaii (CNN)Rising more than 6 miles from the seabed floor, Mauna Kea is the tallest summit in the world.

 

To native Hawaiians, the dormant volcano is the most sacred land in the entire Pacific. It is the point where the sky and earth meet. They believe it is the site of the genesis of their people, and it is the burial ground for their most revered ancestors. Considered a temple and a house of worship, native Hawaiians believed the gods created Mauna Kea for them to ascend to the heavens.

 

To scientists, the mountaintop is the best location in the world to observe the stars and study the origins of our universe.

 

"The summit of Mauna Kea may, in fact, be the darkest site anywhere in the world ... which of course means you can see deeper into space," said Doug Simons, executive director at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. The CFHT sits with 12 other telescopes on top of the mountain.

 

Inspired by the images being captured from the summit, a group of astronomers wants to build the world's most sophisticated telescope at the top of Mauna Kea.  

 

<edit>

 

TMT will use adaptive optics, enabling the telescope to correct for the blurring that usually occurs as a result of the Earth's atmosphere. It will allow scientists from all over the globe to capture what they hope will be the sharpest images yet of our universe.

 

That is, if they can build it. With 13 telescopes already dotting the landscape, some Hawaiians are saying enough is enough. Protesters, or protectors as they like to refer to themselves, have been camped out at the mountain base for months, committed to stopping the construction of the massive telescope.

 

<edit>

 

"This is simply not just about a telescope," Kanuha said. "It's desecration of a sacred mountain; it's desecration of cultural sites, burial grounds."

 

 

<more at link>

 

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Part of me wants to respect those people, part of me wants to nicely try to convince them that their story is fake, and it's just a big rock that formed here quite recently.

The location is isolated in the Pacific, no lights within thousands of miles, except in the mildly lit cities of Hawaii. Above the clouds too. A beast on there would be rad. I hear that the view with the naked eye at that peak is unbelievable.

The James Webb is going up in 3 years or so. That's going to be the new best telescope by far. Hubble on steroids. Still, a monster telescope on that peak, with the ability to cut through our atmosphere visually, would be like having Hubble at the tips of our fingers.

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i visited peaks of otter near bedford, VA a few years ago. its basically two near mile high mountains near each other and you can hike or take a bus (terrifying rounding those corners with no guardrail) to the top. 

 

i remember the tour guide talking about how "sharp top" mountain was thought to be the highest point in VA, as, as such, a boulder was taken from it that was included as part of the washington monument. but the whole time youre at the top of sharp top, youre looking directly at the peak of "flat top" and saying to yourself "that mountain over there sure looks like its a little higher than this one, which is supposed to be the highest point in VA"

 

sure enough, they discovered that flat top is, indeed, the highest point in VA. 

 

FlatTop.jpg

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i visited peaks of otter near bedford, VA a few years ago. its basically two near mile high mountains near each other and you can hike or take a bus (terrifying rounding those corners with no guardrail) to the top.

i remember the tour guide talking about how "sharp top" mountain was thought to be the highest point in VA, as, as such, a boulder was taken from it that was included as part of the washington monument. but the whole time youre at the top of sharp top, youre looking directly at the peak of "flat top" and saying to yourself "that mountain over there sure looks like its a little higher than this one, which is supposed to be the highest point in VA"

sure enough, they discovered that flat top is, indeed, the highest point in VA.

[g]

Nice story. Only they lied to you, neither of those are the highest points in VA. Not really even close tbh. Mount Rogers owns that title at 5,729 feet.

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Part of me wants to respect those people, part of me wants to nicely try to convince them that their story is fake, and it's just a big rock that formed here quite recently.

 

I suspect most of them understand that the story is not true.  I suspect it is more of a cultural/societal thing at this point in time.

 

At some level, they want to build a telescope on their grave yard.  For whatever reason, people are a little funny about things like that.

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Nice story. Only they lied to you, neither of those are the highest points in VA. Not really even close tbh. Mount Rogers owns that title at 5,729 feet.

 

 

you know, i knew that- and i even read it while googling a pic of flat top mountain. yet, i posted 'the highest point in va' anyway.

 

one too many IPA's, combined with 'posting while drafting a fantasy football team'.

 

bad combination. 

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