Tag: Mauna Kea

What about the ahu?

Ancient ahu dot the summit slopes of Mauna Kea. These stone shrines or altars are primarily found on the southern plateau near the adze quarry. There are dozens of sites scattered across the slopes, usually atop prominent rock outcroppings. The most typical structure is a stone pile or platform with a large upright stone at the center. A few sites have multiple uprights. The uprights are clearly carefully chosen, usually a long narrow pohaku.

Ahu
An ancient ahu (shrine) atop Mauna Kea with Mauna Loa in the background
These ancient ahu are usually modest constructions, none exhibiting the fine stonework visible in the heiau and other religious sites across the islands. The harsh weather of Mauna Kea has taken its toll, often the stones are scattered, the upright has fallen.

There is one modern ahu that has been around for a while, sometimes. At the very summit of the mountain an ahu can usually be found. Apparently there is some disagreement about the presence of this ahu. I have seen the stones scattered, I have seen the ahu reappear. When I first began working on Mauna Kea the summit this ahu had a lele, a simple wooden platform built over the ahu.

The current attention focused on Mauna Kea has seen a resurgence in the building of ahu as an act of protest. At least five have been built that I am aware of. Two at the TMT site, two in the middle of the gravel portion of the summit road, one alongside the summit road about halfway up the switchbacks.

These are typically much more substantial structures than the ancient sites. Actually quite well built, sometimes with local rock, at least one is built with rounded stream boulders brought from far below the summit. Unlike the ancient sites these new ahu are fairly standardized, a rock platform around 10-20 square feet in size with a single large upright at the center.

Ahu in the Road
An ahu built in the downhill lane of the Mauna Kea summit access road
What is the status of these sites? What about an ahu built in the middle of a road?

I think it is pretty clear that an ahu erected with ill intent is not sacred. The entire question of sacred or not sacred is a question of intent. Setting an ahu in the middle of the road is simply not pono. Whatever motive the builder may have, creation of such a structure it is still a malicious act, a serious risk to any who use the road. The builders knew this as they stacked the stones. An ahu like this should be removed, preferably by those who erected it.

The two ahu have been removed from the summit road. A third still exists, the one built on a level area beside one of the switchbacks above Hale Pohaku, not in the road. As far as I am aware the two built on the TMT site still exist, both in the roadway. Whether they are dismantled or allowed to remain is still an open question.

An End to Observing at the MKVIS?

As we are all aware, the TMT protests are having direct consequences for everyone who goes to the mountain. Regular mountain users and tourists alike are dealing these consequences. The summit road closed to the public for a second week, the MKVIS also closed, even before these closures the protests had curtailed many activities.

Mauna Kea Observing
My 18″ telescope Deep violet set up under the stars at the MKVIS.
It looks to get worse.

An agenda item that will appear before this week’s DLNR board meeting contains significant rule changes regarding use of the lands surrounding the Mauna Kea access road. For the local amateur astronomy community this looks to be very serious, a complete closure of a place we have all come to value very highly.

Go the the Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station on the weekends nearest new Moon and you will find telescopes. While the MKVIS telescopes get put away at 10pm there are ‘scopes that are operating late into the night, often still there when dawn colors the sky. These telescopes belong to local amateur astronomers who bring them here to enjoy perfect Mauna Kea skies.

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A Change in Mood on the Mountain

There has been a tangible shift in mood on the mountain. I sense this change in all I talk to. The sentiment toward the TMT protesters has turned from one of tolerance to active hostility. They crossed a line, and I think everyone knows it, including the protesters.

Ahu in the Road
An ahu built in the downhill lane of the Mauna Kea summit access road
From everyone’s comments it was the blocking and damage to the summit road that was the critical moment. There has always been a certain sympathy for the protesters among the mountain crews. We may disagree, but at least we understand the source of that disagreement. We are Americans, with an understanding of the right to protest, of respect for those who stand up for their beliefs.

That has changed.

Everyone who works on the mountain understands that the road is an absolutely vital link. It is the only means by which to evacuate the summit in an emergency, the only route by which help can come in the case of trouble. Contrary to many glib Facebook assertions our local fire department helicopters can not operate safely at high elevation. I have seen comments by protesters that downplay the danger, they simply do not understand the seriousness of their actions.

Meanwhile, the mainstream media has been parroting this “public safety concern” language. Of course, they are trying to deceive the public into thinking the Mauna Kea Protectors and the pohaku present the safety hazard. They are lying. – Will Falk

“Pohaku” is of course the Hawaiian word for stone. In his writing Will waxes poetic about the effort and the beauty of placing the rocks on the road, then calls the safety concerns “lying”. His casual disregard for safety is distressing, and typical of those who simply disrespect the mountain, her beauty and her risks.

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Shattering the Silence

It has been over three months since the protest began. Three months of standoff with the protesters who would not see another telescope built on Mauna Kea.

Mauna Kea Observing
My 18″ telescope Deep violet set up under the stars at the MKVIS.
It has been my habit over the last eight years to spend a night under the stars, high on the mountain, each time the new Moon arrives. On the nights when there is no moonlight the sky is dark, truly dark. The stars shine undiminished, the universe is open to be explored. I have used binoculars, small telescopes, cameras, or simply my eyes.

It is with my handmade 18 inch telescope that I can truly gaze into the depths of space. This simple device of plywood and glass allows me to see galaxies millions of light years into the past. With this telescope I have seen hundreds of galaxies, giving me a glimpse of the indescribable vastness of space.

Often I would set up in the patio right at the Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station. The first couple hours spent talking with visitors, showing them the wonders our universe has to offer. After the VIS closes the visitors depart, driven back to their hotels by the cold mountain air. I have a heavy winter jacket, ski-pants, a thermos of hot tea, everything I need to be comfortable under the night sky. I would have the rest of the night to myself, just me, the mountain and the stars.

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Dark Secrets

Over the past months I have made a habit of reading opposition websites. Primarily in an effort to understand the cultural objections to astronomy on Mauna Kea. I have actually learned quite a bit, filling in my knowledge of Hawaiian culture and history. But I do learn other things, apparently this controversy has a very dark and secret element.

First Target of the Night
The Keck 2 laser acquires the first target of the night with the glow of sunset behind
There are local opponents who have a legitimate stake in this controversy. We have also seen other causes that have latched on this debate, often as a tool to forwarding their own agenda. Then there are people completely divorced from reality that seem to think that there is something more to the controversy on the mountain…

… was again soundly defeated atop the tallest mountain in the Pacific by native Hawaiians who understand that telescopes & astronomy have virtually nothing to do with the secret government’s attempt to take over the mountain. The secret government wants to use it for scalar military transmitters & to incorporate it into the Army’s Pohakuloa military base, scheduled eventually to become the largest military base in the Pacific. – Facebook posting by Krishna Davinci, chairman of the Bohemian Grove at Illuminati Network

Ummmm… OK.

Aside from some contradictory grammar, it seems that Mr Krishna has taken every conspiracy theory out there and combined them into a wild stew. This is actually quite common, once a person accepts one conspiracy theory, even wilder theories can easily take root. Take a look at his page, there is more, no theory too far fetched… Chemtrails? Check. Planet X Nibiru? Check. President Obama sacrificing babies at satanic ceremonies? Check. The entire page is so far out there I was first convinced it was all an elaborate satire. Does the Facebook feed need a Poe’s Law disclaimer? Unfortunately, the more I read the more I despaired that someone really believes it all.

Scalar military transmitters? I am an electrical engineer and I have no idea what he is talking about. We do have lasers, and those are cool. In all my visits to the other facilities on the summit I have never seen a scalar transmitter.

I have met a few folks and read more than a few Facebook postings that make all sorts of wild accusations of military use of the summit of Mauna Kea. For most of the past decades the amount of military involvement in Mauna Kea astronomy has been pretty much zero. Since Lockheed Martin has joined the partnership running UKIRT this sort of accusation seems to have gained momentum. Never mind that their stated use of the telescope is to track orbital targets and debris. A use that makes complete sense given the capabilities of the telescope and the need for this effort.

Krishna goes on to explain further…

Furthermore, telescopes are now relatively obsolete & primitive … as are rockets. NASA (Never A Straight Answer) continues to publicly promote them to the sheeple with make-believe projects, because NASA is just a cover for the secret government’s REAL space program ~ which now has at least 10 fleets well outside our solar system using antigrav & antimatter propulsion technology ~ not to mention innumerable interplanetary bases on the moon, Mars, the moons of Jupiter & Saturn … plus several more outside of our solar system. This has been ongoing for over a half century … & publicly hidden from the dumbed-down zombied-out sheeple. – Krishna Davinci

I suppose I am not qualified to cast any judgement here, about a quarter of my salary does come from NASA. On the other hand… Fleets outside our solar system? Bases on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn? Where the hell do I sign up for a transfer to that assignment? I would love to see Saturn up close! Do you suppose that base is on Hyperion? I have always loved that wild little moon.

If we really had these things the US military would celebrate them… Loudly! Why would you need to keep this all secret? Imagine the PR possibilities. With that sort of military power the need for secrecy would simply become an unnecessary annoyance. Besides, that many fleets and bases would need people to man them, you need to recruit a lot of folks. I can imagine the recruiting posters now.

If I disappear in the next few weeks just assume I got my transfer to the Hyperion moon base. In the meantime I need to head to the summit in order to continue fixing the mind control machine. It has been down for a couple weeks and you can see the trouble that has caused.

TMT Construction Restarts

With the announcement the TMT will restart construction everything seems headed for a showdown on the mountain. The protesters are clearly preparing for action. The day is Wednesday. I was scheduled to do a training session for our crew this Wednesday, I have cancelled this. This sort of thing is common as the rest of the observatories consider how we will deal with a possible prolonged blockage of the road.

Protest Rock
The rock to build an ahu passes through Hale Pohaklu on Monday, photo by Dan Birchall, used with permission
First move was by the protesters. Alerted by a message from Dan Birchall that trucks of rock were headed up the mountain, I took a look with one of our cameras. The protesters were building an ahu (stone altar) right in the middle of the TMT access road. Women, children and guys clothed in nothing but malo hauling rock down the access road while security looked on.

Dan confirms that the rocks were rounded boulders in mixed sizes. Rounded rock, as one would find in a stream bed, is particularly desirable in the building of a proper sacred structure such as an ahu or heiau. According to legend that the rock to build the great heiau at Puʻu Kohala was hauled all the way from Waipio Valley by a chain of men across the island.

Obviously they are daring the construction crews to dismantle the structure, then to be able to claim desecration when that happens. Whatever happens our crews will have a first hand view from our site overlooking the TMT site.

I hope for more updates as the situation evolves. With Wednesday cancelled I still hope to go up Friday to complete a few things, whether I do attempt to go up is a bit indeterminate at the moment. Will wait and see.

WHAC Visits Subaru

Over the past few years the West Hawaii Astronomy Club has visited nearly every telescope on Mauna Kea. One glaring exception to this is Subaru, the 8.2 meter telescope belonging to NAOJ.

Subaru Telescope
The sun glints over the tall Subaru telescope enclosure
Subaru… Check.

Subaru is the only telescope with an active tour program. By making reservations ahead of time you can visit the interior of the facility with a guide. This made making the arrangements for a tour quite simple, even when the observatories are worried about events on the mountain. We did quite well for tour guides, Rieko Murai and Josh Walawender made the tour a bit better than the usual tour. Josh is well known to the local amateur community, bringing his own small telescopes to observe at the VIS.

The limit for any group visiting the telescope is eight due to practical considerations such as safety. Thus I had set up two tours, using both the 10:30 and 11:30 slots. This allowed most of the club an opportunity to visit the telescope. This did mean we were unable to enjoy the experience together. While we waited for our later tour I led a short walk to some interesting geologic features and one of the ancient ahu that are near the road.

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Caltech Submillimeter Observatory in Hawaii to End Operations

We have known this was coming for some time. With ALMA coming online the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory is looking decidedly obsolete. It’s closure was announced a few years back as Caltech planned to reallocate the budget.

CSO
The Caltech Submillimeter Telescope (CSO) observing into the dawn
Still, we are sorry to see it go. This telescope has been truly groundbreaking in opening up the submillimeter part of the spectrum to the science of astronomy. Submillimeter is a region of the spectrum that has proven quite challenging to observe. Many of the technologies that make submillimeter science possible were first tested at CSO.

Last year I arranged a tour of CSO for the members of WHAC. It was great to get a good look at this facility before it becomes part of history.

CalTech press release…

After almost 29 years, the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) will end operations of the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO) in Hawaii in September, 2015. As previously announced, Caltech will begin the planning for the dismantling of the observatory. This process will be planned in close coordination with the Office of Mauna Kea Management, University of Hawaii at Hilo, to ensure that it is undertaken promptly and in a culturally and environmentally respectful manner. Caltech is sincerely grateful to the people of Hawaii Island for the use of Maunakea for nearly three decades, enabling superb research from this excellent astronomical site for the betterment of humanity. Caltech commits to the dismantling of the telescope and site restoration according to the Decommissioning Plan approved by the Board of Land and Natural Resources.

The CSO is a cutting-edge facility for astronomical research and instrumentation development. The CSO’s 10.4-meter radio telescope was designed and assembled in the 1980s by a team led by the late Robert Leighton, Caltech’s Valentine Professor of Physics. Under the leadership of CSO founding director Tom Phillips, the John D. MacArthur Professor of Physics, Emeritus, at Caltech, new instrumentation for the CSO was developed over the years by Caltech faculty, students, and staff; by staff scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (which is managed by Caltech); and by collaborators at institutions around the world.

Located near the summit of Mauna Kea, the CSO began operation in early 1987, under the management of Caltech by agreement with the University of Hawaii. For nearly three decades, astronomers from around the world have used the observatory to pursue research and to accomplish groundbreaking achievements in submillimeter and millimeter astronomy—the study of light emitted by atoms, molecules, and dust grains in the interstellar space where stars and planets form. Well over 100 students, from Caltech and other institutions, have used the CSO for their PhD research.

“The CSO has played a central role in the development of the science and instrumentation of submillimeter and millimeter astronomy over the last three decades,” says Sunil Golwala, current director of the CSO and a professor of physics at Caltech. “The CSO legacy of combining training in instrumentation development, hands-on observing, and science will live on via its former students and researchers as well as in new projects for which it has laid the foundation.”

“This has been a most exciting time in which the field of submillimeter astronomy has been developed, leading to an understanding of astrochemistry, star formation, and distant, dust-obscured galaxies,” says Phillips, now the CSO’s director emeritus. “We thank the National Science Foundation, which funded the CSO continuously from construction in 1984 to the end of 2012.”

“The CSO has been foundational in creating the thriving discipline of submillimeter astronomy,” says Tom Soifer (BS ’68), Kent and Joyce Kresa Leadership Chair of Caltech’s Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy. “It is with a deep sense of gratitude to the people of Hawaii that we thank them for hosting this magnificent facility for all this time.”

CSO Scientific Achievements:

  • Development of superconducting-tunnel-junction detectors and spiderweb bolometers for radio astronomy, now commonly used on ground- and space-based radio observatories (ALMA, CARMA, Herschel, Planck), as well as the first astronomical demonstrations of an emerging new technology, kinetic inductance detectors
  • Determination of the role of atomic carbon in the interstellar medium
  • Detection of the submillimeter “line forest” using the line-survey technique, as well as of key hydride molecules, which has led to an improved understanding of interstellar chemistry
  • Discovery of a new phase of stellar evolution for red giant stars, which occurs just before they completely lose their envelope of gas during the formation of planetary nebulae
  • Mapping of the molecular gas of the radio galaxy Centaurus A, among others
  • Determination of the volatile composition of comets, including the first ground-based detection of HDO (heavy water) in a comet, leading to an improved understanding of the origin of comets and of terrestrial water
  • Discovery of ND3, a rare type of ammonia, with emission about 11 orders of magnitude stronger than initially presumed
  • Discovery of signs of intermittent turbulence in interstellar molecular clouds
  • Use of tools such as the Submillimeter High Angular Resolution Camera (SHARC) to image distant, dusty galaxies that are difficult to observe with optical telescopes
  • Spatially resolved imaging of nearby stellar debris disks, using SHARC, providing evidence for the presence of planets in these systems
  • Spectroscopy of distant and local galaxies using the Z-Spec spectrometer—developed at CSO—which has helped yield a better understanding of the processes of galaxy formation and provides a method for measuring galaxies that are too dusty to be seen with optical instruments
  • Mapping of the pressure in the gaseous component of massive galaxy clusters via its interaction with the cosmic microwave background (the thermal Sunyaev-Zel’dovich effect)
  • The first detection of the change in the cosmic microwave background caused by its interaction with the gaseous component of a high-speed subclump within a massive galaxy cluster (the kinetic Sunyaev-Zel’dovich effect)

Reaction to Governor Ige

To no one’s surprise those most opposed to astronomy on Mauna Kea have reacted negatively to yesterday’s statement by Governor Ige. Released statements by the Mauna Kea Hui, Kū Kia’i Mauna and other groups offer no compromise in response to the governor’s proposals.

TMT Protest in Waimea
A protest against TMT in Waimea, May 27, 2015
A number of protests have been organized around the island, including one at Church Row, just across the lawn from Keck headquarters. The protest is a very island way of doing this, a sign waving event along a major highway. This is a very typical event during political campaigns or social controversies like this.

Today’s protest is interesting compared to earlier protests, it seems less energetic, with far fewer passing vehicles honking in support. The previous protest at this location was almost constant honking. Has the community sentiment shifted away from those protesting? Are many accepting the spirit of compromise that was exemplified by the governor yesterday? The real test will be when construction resumes, and we all expect it to resume soon.

It was in walking over to check on the protest that I had a more interesting conversation. A Hawaiian gentleman was selling fresh ahi and pickled mangoes from a roadside stand. He ask why they were protesting the telescopes. It made no sense to him that anyone would oppose the TMT.

This is in line with many quiet conversations I have had. Many in the local community do support the TMT, but the support has been muted by the most strident voices of opposition. Conflict is not comfortable to many in this community, traditional Hawaiian and to a large extent traditional Asian attitudes that so many follow here have steered many away from the controversy. As we chatted he offered me a piece of ahi free, he had a big catch yesterday. I deferred and thanked him, I still have plenty of halibut to use up in the freezer.