![]() (1) The quality of the ORM site, which will support all TMT core science programs On October 31st, 2016, the TIO Board of Directors selected the Observatorio del Roque de Los Muchachos (ORM), in La Palma, on the Canary Islands (Spain) as the alternate site for TMT. The investigation looked into the various risks associated with each site and many other parameters in addition to site quality, such as the costs for construction and operations, the timeline to First Light, and the legal processes and timescale to obtain the necessary permits. The Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on the Canary Islands, SpainĪll alternate sites presented a different set of advantages and challenges. The alternate sites considered were distributed over the two hemispheres: Two sites in Chile, and two others in Mexico and Spain (respectively San Pedro Martir and Roque de los Muchachos Observatories). As a result, while Maunakea continues to be TIO’s preferred site, TMT has also extensively investigated several alternative sites to ensure that construction can begin in a timely fashion. In 2009, a site (MK13N) below the summit of Maunakea, in Hawaii, emerged as the preferred site for TMT. However, access to the MK13N site has been halted by TMT opponents at several occasions since 2014. All measurements gathered are publicly available from the TMT Site Testing Database. ![]() At five candidate sites in Chile, Mexico and Maunakea, measurements were made of optical turbulence levels as a function of height, cloud properties and atmospheric transmission, precipitable water vapor, and meteorological parameters such as wind speed, direction, air temperature, solar radiation and cooling rates of the ground. ![]() Starting in 2003, TMT scientists conducted the most comprehensive site testing campaign ever carried out for a new observatory, a rigorous five-year campaign to measure virtually every atmospheric characteristic that affects the performance of telescopes. The Keck and Subaru telescopes on top of Maunakea, Hawaii ![]()
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