October 29, 2004

Hawaii's Fading Star

Where will American astronomers go if they lose their biggest asset on earth?

By Richard Monastersky

At 14,000 feet above sea level, the body starts to rebel. Legs groan when asked to walk up a flight of stairs. Soon your skull is throbbing and nausea churns your stomach. It's a hell of a place to perform complex calculations or operate heavy machinery, let alone work the controls that move a $40-million, 33-foot-wide glass mirror.

But to astronomers, the mind-numbing summit of Hawaii's tallest volcano is the closest place to heaven. The top of Mauna Kea has one of the best views of