Although most of the information on this wiki is aimed at professional observers, the following material may interest a broader audience.
Caltech is decommissioning the CSO and restoring the site. The telescope ceased scientific operations in late 2015, after which all astronomical instruments were removed from the facility. Decommissioning of the CSO is being carried out according to the Conservation District Use Permit (CDUP) issued by the State of Hawaiʻi's Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) in January 2022. CSO is the first observatory to be removed under the 2010 Decommissioning Plan for Maunakea Observatories.
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The Leighton Telescope of the CSO is being disassembled prior to removal from Maunakea. It will be transported to the Kawaihae Harbor and shipped to Chile for reuse. This page chronicles some notable steps in the process, with photos:
Received from Hawaii Department of Health on May 4, 2022:
Approved by BLNR January 14, 2022; issued by DLNR, January 18, 2022; returned by Caltech January 24, 2022.
Published December 8, 2021:
The Draft EA was open for public comment September 8, 2021 - November 4, 2021:
The public comment period has closed.
Comments should be submitted to
Planning Solutions, Inc.
Attn: Mākena White, AICP
711 Kapiʻolani Boulevard, Suite 950
Honolulu, Hawaiʻi 96813
cso-decom@caltech.edu
There were three public workshops, conducted via zoom, presenting the Draft EA with Q&A. Recordings of each meeting can be found below: