Caltech observatory atop Hawaii’s Mauna Kea, a source of cultural tension, is dismantled



Caltech and its contractors completed the decommissioning of the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory in July. (Sayer Houseal / Caltech)

By Noah Haggerty
Aug. 2, 2024 3 AM PT

After decades of mounting tension between scientists and Native Hawaiians, Caltech has completed its removal of a telescope from the summit of Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano that is revered by the island’s Indigenous population.

The decommissioning of the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory in July follows the removal of a University of Hawaii observatory a month earlier, and comes amid a cultural resurgence among Native Hawaiians.

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“It was important for these two facilities to come down, not just because they were not productive anymore but because it’s an acknowledgment of the privilege of being up there. You were pau — you were done. So, you can go home now.”

Prized for its altitude, dark skies and low humidity, Mauna Kea still hosts 11 other telescopes. Although the facilities have brought Hawaii international acclaim in astronomy and have helped to boost the local economy, Native Hawaiians have long regarded the summit as their spiritual connection to the heavens.

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