Plans to construct the world's largest telescope at the summit of Mauna Kea have been approved by the University of Hawaii Board of Regents.
The Thirty Metre Telescope (TMT) is expected to help astronomers observe stars and galaxies up to 13 billion light years away and solve some of the mysteries of the early universe.
Its 100-ft long segmented primary mirror will provide nine times the collecting area and three times the resolution of the largest optical telescopes currently in use.
Project officials are hoping to get the necessary permits from the state to begin construction of the TMT by the end of next year and complete the facility by 2018.
There was some opposition to the project among native Hawaiians who consider Mauna Kea sacred and from environmentalists who believe it may the adversely affect populations of the rare wekiu bug.
The university board, which had to vote on the project because it owns the lease for the land, decided that it would benefit science while creating jobs and boosting the local economy.
Board member Chuck Gee said: "I think it would be almost unthinkable not to approve this project for what it would mean for scientific research and astronomy, what it would mean for education, and the answers it may provide to unlock the mysteries of the universe."
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