Hawaii Or Spain? Telescope Experts Say It May Not Matter
AppleMagazine|August 30, 2019

When starlight from billions of years ago zips across the universe and finally comes into focus on Earth, astronomers want their telescopes to be in the best locations possible to see what’s out there.

Hawaii Or Spain? Telescope Experts Say It May Not Matter

Despite years of legal battles and months of protests by Native Hawaiian opponents, the international coalition that wants to build the world’s largest telescope in Hawaii insists that the islands’ highest peak — Mauna Kea — is the best place for their $1.4 billion instruments.

But just barely.

Thirty Meter Telescope officials acknowledge that their backup site atop a peak on the Spanish Canary island of La Palma is a comparable observatory location and that it wouldn’t cost more money or take extra time to build it there.

There’s also no significant opposition to putting the telescope on La Palma like there is in Hawaii, where some Native Hawaiians consider the mountain sacred and have blocked trucks from hauling construction equipment to Mauna Kea’s summit for more than a month.

But Hawaii has advantages that scientists say make it slightly better: higher altitude, cooler temperatures, and rare star-gazing moments that will allow the cutting-edge telescope to reach its full potential.

“Every once in a while at Mauna Kea, you get one of those magic nights,” said the University of California, Santa Cruz astronomy and astrophysics professor Michael Bolte, a Thirty Meter Telescope board member. “When the air is super stable above the site, you get images that you simply couldn’t get anyplace else.”

Bolte, who has used existing Mauna Kea telescopes, said those “magic” Hawaii nights could hold discoveries that might be missed in La Palma.

“Let’s suppose one of your big science cases is to look for life on planets that are orbiting other stars,” he said. “The star is so much brighter than the planet you’re trying to observe, it’s really hard to do.”

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 30, 2019-Ausgabe von AppleMagazine.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 30, 2019-Ausgabe von AppleMagazine.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS APPLEMAGAZINEAlle anzeigen
AMAZON REPORTS BOOST IN QUARTERLY PROFITS.EXCEEDS REVENUE ESTIMATES AS IT INVESTS IN AI
AppleMagazine

AMAZON REPORTS BOOST IN QUARTERLY PROFITS.EXCEEDS REVENUE ESTIMATES AS IT INVESTS IN AI

Amazon reported a boost in its quarterly profits and exceeded revenue estimates, sending the company’s stock up in after-hours trading.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
November 08, 2024
SOUTH KOREA FINES META $15 MILLION FOR ILLEGALLY COLLECTING INFORMATION ON FACEBOOK USERS
AppleMagazine

SOUTH KOREA FINES META $15 MILLION FOR ILLEGALLY COLLECTING INFORMATION ON FACEBOOK USERS

South Korea’s privacy watchdog this week fined social media company Meta 21.6 billion won ($15 million) for illegally collecting sensitive personal information from Facebook users, including data about their political views and sexual orientation, and sharing it with thousands of advertisers.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
AppleMagazine #680
CHINESE ONLINE RETAILER TEMU FACES EUROPEAN UNION INVESTIGATION INTO ROGUE TRADERS AND ILLEGAL GOODS
AppleMagazine

CHINESE ONLINE RETAILER TEMU FACES EUROPEAN UNION INVESTIGATION INTO ROGUE TRADERS AND ILLEGAL GOODS

Chinese online retailer Temu is facing a European Union investigation over suspicions it’s failing to prevent the sale of illegal products, the 27-nation bloc’s executive arm said.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
AppleMagazine #680
CORNING FACES EU ANTITRUST SCRUTINY OVER GORILLA GLASS DEALS WITH PHONE MAKERS
AppleMagazine

CORNING FACES EU ANTITRUST SCRUTINY OVER GORILLA GLASS DEALS WITH PHONE MAKERS

Corning is facing European Union antitrust scrutiny after the bloc’s watchdog said this week it’s investigating the speciality glass maker’s exclusive deals for its Gorilla Glass used in cellphones.

time-read
1 min  |
AppleMagazine #680
NEW CEO AT CVS BEGINS TO BUILD HIS TEAM WITH A GOAL OF REVIVING THE STRUGGLING HEALTH CARE GIANT
AppleMagazine

NEW CEO AT CVS BEGINS TO BUILD HIS TEAM WITH A GOAL OF REVIVING THE STRUGGLING HEALTH CARE GIANT

CVS Health fell short on third-quarter profit, but it posted strong sales and the health care giant shook up leadership under new CEO David Joyner after a rough year that has sent shares plunging.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
AppleMagazine #680
AS THE DATA CENTER INDUSTRY BOOMS. AN ENGLISH VILLAGE BECOMES A BATTLEGROUND
AppleMagazine

AS THE DATA CENTER INDUSTRY BOOMS. AN ENGLISH VILLAGE BECOMES A BATTLEGROUND

Originally built to store crops from peasant farmers, the Tithe Barn on the edge of the English village of Abbots Langley was converted into homes that preserve its centuries of history.

time-read
4 Minuten  |
AppleMagazine #680
YOU MAY HAVE BLOCKED SOMEONE ON X BUT NOW THEY CAN SEE YOUR PUBLIC POSTS ANYWAY
AppleMagazine

YOU MAY HAVE BLOCKED SOMEONE ON X BUT NOW THEY CAN SEE YOUR PUBLIC POSTS ANYWAY

Elon Musk’s X has been modified so that accounts you’ve blocked on the social media platform can still see your public posts.

time-read
1 min  |
AppleMagazine #680
NINTENDO REPORTS LOWER PROFITS AS DEMAND DROPS FOR ITS AGING SWITCH CONSOLE
AppleMagazine

NINTENDO REPORTS LOWER PROFITS AS DEMAND DROPS FOR ITS AGING SWITCH CONSOLE

Nintendo, the Japanese video game maker behind the Super Mario franchise, said Tuesday that its profit fell 60% in the first half of the fiscal year, as demand waned for its Switch console, now in its eighth year since going on sale.

time-read
1 min  |
AppleMagazine #680
THE BEST SMALL SUVS FOR CITY DRIVING
AppleMagazine

THE BEST SMALL SUVS FOR CITY DRIVING

SUVs are popular in part due to their elevated ride height, commanding view of the road, and roomy interiors.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
AppleMagazine #680
MANY RETAILERS OFFER 'RETURNLESS REFUNDS.' JUST DON'T EXPECT THEM TO TALK MUCH ABOUT IT
AppleMagazine

MANY RETAILERS OFFER 'RETURNLESS REFUNDS.' JUST DON'T EXPECT THEM TO TALK MUCH ABOUT IT

It’s one of the most under-publicized policies of some of the biggest U.S. retailers: sometimes they give customers full refunds and let them keep unwanted items too.

time-read
5 Minuten  |
AppleMagazine #680