Supervisor: Dr Megan Argo
Astronomy requires telescopes to be located in regions of optically dark or radio quiet skies. Frequently these sites are situated on top of high mountains in places such as Hawai’i or the Andes. Often, these telescope sites are also located on land that is sacred to indigenous people. This has caused significant tension in Hawai’i where the proposed construction of the Thirty Metre Telescope led to large protests against further construction on the mountain. There are cases where this has been handled in a much more sensitive way, such as with the Wajarri Yamatji people who are the traditional owners of the land in Australia where part of the Square Kilometre Array is under construction. This project will explore the issues surrounding telescope sites around the world, looking at examples of good and bad practice of projects engaging with indigenous communities, and investigate ways of educating the astronomical community about these important issues.