A volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island is sacred to spiritual practitioners and treasured by astronomers

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Name

A volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island is sacred to spiritual practitioners and treasured by astronomers

Description

At the Summit of Mauna Kea Volcano, Science and Religion Collide

Types

Article

Authors

Deepa Bharath
Audrey McAvoy

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Over the past 50 years, astronomers have built a dozen giant telescopes on Mauna Kea's summit
Mauna Kea's telescopes are crucial in the study of dark energy and other cosmic phenomena
The construction of telescopes on Mauna Kea's summit is viewed by many Native Hawaiians as polluting and eroding the sacred site
Both Hawaiian spirituality and astronomy fundamentally ask similar existential questions about the origins and future of humanity and the universe
Efforts are being made by both cultural practitioners and observatory staff to foster better understanding and mindfulness of Mauna Kea's significance
The Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority has been established to manage the mountain, involving both scientists and Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners
The climate and natural environment of Mauna Kea play a crucial role in Hawaiian spirituality
Mauna Kea holds a central place in Native Hawaiian cosmology as the first-born son of the sky father and earth mother
The Kumulipo, a centuries-old Hawaiian creation chant, describes the universe's origin in a way that resembles the Big Bang theory in astronomy
The debate over Mauna Kea is not simply a culture-versus-science issue, as Hawaiian spirituality embraces science and many astronomers respect Hawaiian culture
In 2019, protests erupted against the proposed $2.65-billion Thirty Meter Telescope project near the Mauna Kea's summit
Mauna Kea's dry atmosphere and limited light pollution make it an ideal location for astronomical studies
The future of astronomy on Mauna Kea and the renewal of the University of Hawaii's lease for summit lands is a topic of ongoing discussion
Discoveries from the telescopes located on Mauna Kea's summit include the confirmation of a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way
Hawaiian spiritual practices, particularly those associated with deities of Mauna Kea, are grounded in scientific observations of the mountain's environment and climate
Native Hawaiians revere Mauna Kea as a profoundly sacred site, believed to be both the dwelling place of Poliahu, the snow goddess, and the abode of gods

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Publish date

12

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13

Day
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2023

Year

12

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00

am

Publisher

The Associated Press

Topics

Hawaiian religion

Web URL

https://themessenger.com/tech/mauna-kea-hawaii-keck-observatory-astronomy-telescope