In November 2021, the National Academy of Sciences published a report titled “Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s (2021),” the latest in the series of decadal reports on astronomy and astrophysics.
Previous reports have recommended major space- and ground-based observatories which are now up and running. The reports are written by panels of eminent astronomers: Most panel members are professors or researchers, and it is considered an honor and a privilege to serve on these panels, and an opportunity to influence the priorities for the future of the research field.
The 2020 report recommended, as the highest priority for ground-based astronomy, the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope in the northern hemisphere and the Grand Magellan Telescope in the southern hemisphere. But the National Science Foundation will not necessarily fund both of these — the construction of the TMT depends on a high probability of the project being able to get completed at the chosen site within the projected budget.
In a similarly professional manner, the University of Hawaii, which is prestigious for its eminence in astronomy, has been responsible for the preparation of a report “Master Plan for the University of Hawaii Maunakea Lands” for the continuation of the work carried out in astronomy from Maunakea, as well as a detailed management plan for all aspects of activities related to Maunakea, i.e. native Hawaiian interests, hunting, hiking, biological research, etc.
This master plan is a major update over previous reports and shows great sensitivity to the interests of all groups involved in the use of Maunakea. Two telescopes are already in the process of being decommissioned, part of the agreement to remove a total of five telescopes in order to allow the construction of the TMT.
As pointed out by UH President David Lassner, UH has been on a trajectory of continuous improvement in the management of Maunakea for over 20 years.
The maintenance of the Astronomy Reserve of 550 acres is crucial to astronomy in the United States and around the world. Astronomers at the UH have negotiated a guaranteed fraction of observing time on each telescope, where this fraction varies between about 7% and 15%. The fraction is negotiated with the partners within each telescope consortium,
Apart from this relatively small fraction of observing time, the bulk of observing time is allocated by the Time Allocation Committees for each telescope, in response to detailed scientific proposals, similar to research papers, which are submitted twice a year to the peer-review panels. All telescopes are oversubscribed, so proposals have to be well-prepared, often by teams of distinguished astronomers, and are very competitive.
Proposals for large observing programs can take weeks or even months to prepare. The world-class proposed science is tailored to the capabilities of the chosen telescope and the instrument at its focus, an instrument that may have cost more than $100 million to construct. These peer-reviewed procedures have been developed and matured over decades and adopted by prestigious federal and international committees and by the UH.
In stark contrast, the state House of Representatives, responding to TMT protesters and the anti-astronomy movement, introduced a bill last year which would radically change how astronomy gets done on Maunakea, if it continues at all. Management and oversight of all activities related to Maunakea would be done by an eleven-member panel of political appointees, only one of whom may have any scientific background or interest. No one from the UH would be a voting member of this group, and it is not clear what qualifications they would have, but no qualifications as scientists.
On behalf of the worldwide community of astronomers, we have no confidence that this group could possibly act responsibly for the continued preeminence of the science carried out on Maunakea. On the contrary, the management and oversight group could easily be “loaded” with members who are anti-TMT and anti-astronomy on Maunakea, leading to the eventual demise of the $200 million astronomy industry and the loss of scientific research for the whole world.
House Bill 2024 should surely be vetoed.
Richard E. Griffiths is an affiliate professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Hawaii at Hilo and a professor emeritus in the Physics Department at Carnegie Mellon University.