On 23 May 1960 a massive quake regis- tering 9.5 on the Richter scale struck the Chilean coast, triggering tsunamis up to 25 meters high that raced across the Pacific at 700 kilometers per hour. When the tsunamis reached Hilo on the east coast of the island of Hawaii, they were still powerful enough to sweep up ten-ton blocks of basalt from the breakwater, kill 61 people, and destroy more than 500 buildings.

Industry was devastated. Brainstorming on ways to rebuild, the Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce hit on the idea of using the two volcanoes in the island's interior--Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. They wrote more than 1,000 letters to universities and astronomical research institutions in the US and Japan inviting them to set up astronomical research stations on the volcanoes. Their hope was that such stations would spur new construction activity and bring prosperity back to Hilo.

Their invitations generated little initial response. In fact, only Dr. Gerard Kuiper, the noted planetary scientist and University of Arizona professor, showed interest. But Kuiper followed up by visiting in person and determined that the peaks, which were above the inversion layer, had many clear days, and suffered no light pollution, would make fantastic locations for telescopes. Concerned about the possibility that the still-active Mauna Loa might erupt, he chose to build on Mauna Kea.

At Kuiper's urging, the Hawaiian government built a road to Mauna Kea's summit in 1963. Kuiper himself established a temporary observation station on the peak in that same year and soon set up the mountain's first 31-centimeter telescope. His observations were so good that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the University of Hawaii followed suit in 1967 with a large 2.2-meter telescope. In the years since, astronomical research bodies of 13 nations, including Taiwan, have set up observation stations and telescopes of their own on the mountain, making it the Northern Hemisphere's best known site for astronomical research.

O' Mauna Kea ko kakou kuahiwi la'a--"Mauna Kea, our sacred mountain." The 4,205-meter Mauna Kea, Hawaii's tallest volcano, is sacred in native Hawaiian religion and may not be encroached upon.

Native Hawaiians believe that it is the sacred resting place of their ancestors and the gods and therefore inviolable. The construction of telescopes on its summit has been permitted for the last few decades for economic reasons, but many believe that siting the telescopes here was a sacrilegious act that destroyed the mountain's divine tranquility.

Native Hawaiians have held numerous demonstrations opposing the construction of new telescopes over the last several years on the grounds that the peak is already "full." In response to this rising groundswell of protest, the Hawaiian government has refused to permit the construction of new telescopes on Mauna Kea.

There are currently 12 telescopes on Mauna Kea, including the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), the Japanese-funded Subaru Telescope and the Taiwan-US Sub-Millimeter Array. Though there have been culture clashes, the influx of telescopes, observation stations, and astronomers has invigorated Hilo.

Present-day Hilo is home to one of the world's leading astronomical museums, as well as to a visitor center on the slopes of Mauna Kea that makes its several telescopes available to the public. The bustling crowds arriving here every night include astronomy fans from around the world who come to explore the wonder of the stars from a vantage very close to the heavens.

Whether they accept the telescopes or not, most Hilo residents are proud of the astronomical reputation their city now enjoys. Telescopes and stargazing are now so much a part of life in Hilo that it's impossible to imagine the city without them.