Hawai’i – Page 39 – A Darker View

TMT Opponent’s Alternative Facts

A number of other commentators are noting the use of alternative facts by telescope opponents. While I have commented a few times here on DV about the issue, it is heartening to note that I am not alone in this.

Ahu — An ancient ahu (shrine) at 11,000ft on Mauna Kea

Environment Hawaii has published a number of articles that cover the ongoing TMT contested case. The latest is quite critical of Sierra Club Director Marti Townsend’s recent testimony. The article is quite forthright in noting a list of factual errors in her testimony.

Many of the witnesses have testified on cultural and religious issues, no problems here, these are personal matters where there is no objective truth. But over and over we have seen witnesses make very specific physical and scientific claims that are simply wrong. It will be interesting to see how these inaccuracies are addressed in the findings of the hearing officer.

No, Mrs. Townsend, there are no glaciers on Mauna Kea. There used to be, about ten thousand years ago, but they are gone now.

61G Ocean Entry

A heavy plume of gases trail from the 61G lava flow ocean entry

Argiope

Distanced from Reality

On Monday I tuned back into the TMT contested case hearing, it is a soap opera that has become rather addictive over the last few months. I will often keep the video feed up in the corner of my monitor, attempting to pick up the more interesting bits through the day.

Mr. Lee claims to be a papakilohoku, a star priest, I tuned into his testimony with some interest. As an amateur astronomer who has spent countless nights under the stars observing with hand made telescopes, or simply my unaided eyes, I am very familiar with the sky. I hoped he would relate some interesting Hawaiian sky lore while on the stand, a new legend or two. What I heard instead was a mangled version of astronomy that would embarrass any ancient Polynesian navigator.

Mr. Michael Lee was offered as a witness by Harry Fergerstrom, one of the more extreme participants in the ongoing contested case hearing. It is no surprise that this witness would espouse some of the more interesting claims made against the TMT project. I expected some wild claims, I was surprised at just how wild.

Continue reading “Distanced from Reality”

A Little Icy…

A snow covered summit road — Getting to the summit over a snow and ice covered road in heavy fog

Ice on the Mast — Ice on the Keck weather mast

Heavy Ice — Ice on the Keck 2 dome ladders after the New Year’s storm of 2015

MastCam Ice — Hanging ice blocks the view of MastCam after a severe winter storm on January 4th, 2015

Ice — Freezing fog and 90mph winds combine to create ice sculpture on Mauna Kea

Summit Ice — The results of a night of freezing fog atop Mauna Kea

Keck Under Ice — Keck Observatory covered in heavy ice

A Blade of Ice — The effects of freezing fog on the summit of Mauna Kea

Park Away From Dome — An ice covered sign warning drivers to park away from the telescope dome

Icy — Freezing fog and 90mph winds combine to create ice sculpture on Mauna Kea

Snow — A touch of snow and ice atop Mauna Kea this morning

Keck 2 Ice — A ladder platform of the Keck 2 dome with a heavy coating of ice

Iced — The emergency evacuation vehicle covered with ice

Icy Weather — The meteorological instruments atop the Keck weather mast covered with thick ice.

ʻOhiʻa

A Little Snow…

IRTF Snow 3Mar2015 — Snow falling around the IRTF telescope on the afternoon of March 3, 2015

Fresh Snow — Fresh snow atop Mauna Kea, the first good storm of 2013

A Bit of Snow — The twin domes of Keck after a bit of snow on the summit of Mauna Kea

Arrival — We arrive to eight inches of snow at the telescopes

Shoveling Snow — The crew shovels the loading dock clear while the OMKM grader clears a troublesome snowdrift.

SMA On Ice — The SMA (Smithsonian Submillimeter Array) under a heavy coating of ice and snow with Haleakalā in the background

Snow Day — Looking across at the Keck 1 dome from the top of Keck 2 with Mauna Loa in the background

Abandoning the Summit — Abandoning the summit as weather conditions deteriorate and the snow begins to fall

Snowy SMA — The SMA antennas in snow and fog

A Little More Snow — April storm brought enough snow to cover the slopes of Mauna Kea

Icy Sunrise — The Sun rising over an icy snowfield along the summit road of Mauna Kea

Snowy Summits — A fresh snowfall blankets the summit of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa

A Summit Road — Six inches of snow on the road as we approach the summit of Mauna Kea

Fesh snowfall from the top of the Keck 2 dome

Nearly There — Keck 2 appears out of the fog and snow as we are nearly there

Light Snow — A light snowfall atop the summit of Mauna Kea

Snowplow — An MKSS snowplow clears the road atop Mauna Kea

Snowy Arrival at the Summit — The crew arriving to a summit to find several inches of fresh snow

Fresh snowfall blankets the summit of Mauna Kea

Snowy Keck 1 — Keck 1 looms in the fog and snow

Da Ditch

61G Flow

61G lava flow this morning, first time I have been out since the shelf collapse, what a difference, it just pours out of the tube. There is a small fragment of the old shelf, it continues to collapse, heard and watched a couple truck sized chunks fall out of it and into the surf.

Did another dawn attack, arriving at the flow about 2am, staying until after sunrise. The new rope line is stupidly far back, so far back no one was honoring it. I stayed about 200-300 yards away, but saw folks on the top of the cliff over the tube where I had seen glowing globs land just half an hour before.

Category: Hawai’i