After decades of mounting tensions between scientists and Native Hawaiians, Caltech has completed the removal of a telescope from the summit of Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano that is revered by the island's indigenous population.
The decommissioning of Caltech's Submillimeter Observatory in July follows the retirement of a University of Hawaii observatory a month earlier, and comes amid a cultural revival among Native Hawaiians.
“Nothing is forever,” said Gregory Chun, executive director of the Maunakea Stewardship Center at the University of Hawaii and a Native Hawaiian.
“It was important that these two facilities come down, not only because they were no longer productive, but because it is an acknowledgement of the privilege of being up there. pau —You're done. So you can go home now.
Prized for its altitude, dark skies and low humidity, Mauna Kea is still home to 11 other telescopes. While the facilities have given Hawaii international recognition in astronomy and helped boost the local economy, Native Hawaiians have long regarded the summit as their spiritual connection to the heavens.
In 2019, protests erupted at the base of the mountain when Caletch and the University of California proposed building another observatory called the Thirty Meter Telescope. The protest led the state to transfer oversight responsibilities from the University of Hawaii (which leased the land to Caltech) to the new Maunakea Stewardship Oversight Authority, which is made up of local, environmental and scientific stakeholders.
The closure of the Caltech observatory marks the end of a contentious era, as locals and new officials debate what's next for the mountain.
“I have incredible respect for the people at the University of Hawaii, who can audit their own actions,” said John De Fries, executive director of the new authority. “If this authority can begin to pioneer a new model of leadership, that is something to be thanked for, but that task remains ahead.”
The Caltech Submillimeter Observatory telescope will now be relocated to Chile. With new and improved instruments, the observatory will continue to conduct scientific activities under a new name: the Leighton Chajnantor Telescope.
(Sayer Houseal/Caltech)
In response to public criticism, the University of Hawaii created the Maunakea Management Center in 2020 to oversee operations on the mountain. It worked closely with Caltech to decommission the observatory.
Cultural observers were present throughout the process to ensure that the deconstruction was done in a respectful manner, and although the new authority was not involved in the dismantling process, Caltech invited members to perform cultural ceremonies upon its completion.
A senior member of the authority also inspected the site to give the final go-ahead for completion and reported that “the site had been restored to a near-pristine level that can be expected,” De Fries said.
Over its roughly three decades of observations, the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory has played a key role in several scientific breakthroughs in astrophysics.
The observatory was initially designed to detect some of the most unexplored wavelengths of light, between a third of a millimeter and a millimeter, much longer than visible light.
The telescope, along with its resident companion on Mauna Kea, the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, discovered that Earth is basking in the light of excited molecules living quietly in interstellar space.
Since Caltech's Submillimeter Observatory began observing the night sky in 1987, the telescope has played a key role in several scientific breakthroughs. It helped identify molecules in interstellar space and created maps of cosmic dust and galaxy clusters.
(Caltech Submillimeter Observatory)
At the turn of the century, Caltech’s modernized Submillimeter Observatory began mapping the sky. It was a “quantum leap in capability,” said Sunil Golwala, director of the observatory and professor of physics at Caltech.
This allowed scientists to map objects from the dust of the interstellar medium to the largest scale of structure in the universe: galaxy clusters.
Now, the Caltech telescope is moving to Chile with a new name (Leighton Chajnantor Telescope), new instruments, and the opportunity to reestablish itself at the forefront of astronomy.
Golwala said the team realized they were assigned to be on Mauna Kea and that the Chilean site is farther from population centers and not considered sacred. They will also build near other observatories to reduce their environmental footprint.
Following protests at the observatory, finding the right balance between astronomy and preserving the sacred site of Mauna Kea remains a challenge.
Despite the criticism, the telescopes help the state financially and support science and engineering on the islands, as many young people from Hawaii leave to study in those fields.
“There is no unified consensus in the community, let alone the Hawaiian community, on [the Thirty Meter Telescope] “This is not about astronomy or science,” Chun said. “So the balance will not be something that is easily found, but I think if the authority can put forward a vision that people can see themselves in, we will have a better chance.”
During her time at the center, Chun has come to believe that empathy is the path to reconciliation, and authority is an opportunity to find it.
“We certainly have a lot of lessons learned and scars that we’ve accumulated over the years,” Chun said.
“However, I also think it’s no coincidence that one of the most sacred lands here in Hawaii for Native Hawaiians is also the most important place, certainly in the Northern Hemisphere, if not the world, for astronomy.”
