Controversial mega-telescope could move to Spain

One of the world's biggest telescope projects might be forced to move its location to Spain’s Canary Islands.

The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), which it is planned will be the most advanced and powerful optical telescope on Earth, is due to be built in Hawaii. However, construction has ground to a halt due to opposition from indigenous groups, which consider the proposed site to be sacred, and a legal squabble over a permit.

On Monday, Spain emerged as Plan B. Henry Yang, chair of the TMT international observatory board said, “After careful deliberation, the board of governors has identified Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos on La Palma in the Canary Islands, Spain, as the primary alternative to Hawaii."

The site in La Palma is home to several telescopes and considered to have the second-best observation conditions after Hawaii.

Telescopes located there include the 10.4 metre Gran Telescopio Canarias, the world's largest single-aperture optical telescope as of July 2009; the William Herschel Telescope, the second largest in Europe, and the adaptive optics corrected Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope, which provides the highest resolution solar imaging of any telescope.

The TMT will stand 18 storeys tall with a 98-foot-wide primary mirror inside. Once built, the $1.4 billion device will use its immense light-gathering power to study the early universe.

In 2014 and 2015 TMT construction was halted by demonstrations. Last year the Supreme Court of Hawaii blocked construction completely, ruling that due process was not followed when officials approved the permit.

Although the legal battle could drag on for months, Hawaii remains the TMT board’s preferred site.

"Mauna Kea continues to be the preferred choice for the location of the Thirty Meter Telescope, and the TIO Board will continue intensive efforts to gain approval for TMT in Hawaii,” said Yang.

TMT officials want to start construction no later than April 2018.