I just watched the debut of a PBS documentary on Mauna Kea, my understanding is that it will be broadcast on the mainland soon- You should watch it if you can...

It was called 'First Light', the title reflects the fact that the first sunlight in Hawaii is on the summit of Mauna Kea, and the fact that 'First Light' is a term astronomers use to denote the commissioning of a telescope or astronomical instrument.

The main theme of the program was the friction between the observatories on the summit, and those that feel the observatories are a desecration of a holy site... it was the most even handed presentation I have seen, although it had some scientific gaffes...

Mauna Kea is the BEST place for a telescope in the world, and if it is a sacred place to some, then what would be more sacred than using it to learn about the universe?

The protestors, a SMALL but noisy number of people, make it sound like we are running a chemical plant up there... The fact is that NOT ONE PERSON I WORK WITH UP THERE shows disrespect for the environment... The main polluters are the tourists. If we see garbage up there we clean it up... what the protesters dont understand is that we find the summit as sacred as they do- just maybe not for the same reasons...

The thirty meter telescope is now in serious planning, the best place to put it is on Mauna Kea, but it most likely wont happen- the friction is too great... the observatories bring hundreds of millions to this island, but a small group tries to stop any progress... its a tricky situation...

anyway, it was an interesting documentary that taught me a lot- I think astronomy fans would like it... and cry at how political agendas get out of hand...