A laser on the Thirty Meter Telescope will help the observatory take space-quality images.

Roberto Abraham, president of the Canadian Astronomical Society, whose U of T office happens to be just down the hall from Dr. Carlberg’s, dismisses the European option because he says it would leave Canada with relatively little influence in a much larger research collective. And, he predicts, even at La Palma, TMT will outperform Europe’s giant telescope.

“My plan is to crush them like bugs,” Dr. Abraham said.

Others warn that Canadian astronomers might risk losing everything if they push the federal government to switch tracks and re-allocate the money it set aside for TMT. That money could just as easily be spent in another field of science, they say, or moved away from science entirely.

For now, the National Research Council, which oversees Canada’s participation in the project, says it backs TMT and its selection of La Palma as an alternate site. Charles Drouin, a spokesman, also said that the NRC would continue to consult with Canadian astronomers “to ensure our participation benefits Canadian researchers, students and industry.”

“We are aware that there are various opinions out there,” Mr. Drouin added.

The debate has generational overtones. Those who say Canada is better off sticking with TMT, even if it is forced to give up on Hawaii, tend to be mid-career astronomers and younger. Those with the strongest doubts are among the senior scientists who were the earliest champions of TMT in Canada.

For example, Luc Simard, who is currently overseeing the development of Canada’s optical contributions to TMT for the NRC, says he is confident the telescope will perform well at La Palma. In contrast, Rene Racine, a professor emeritus at the University of Montreal who is widely respected for optimizing the astronomical returns of the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, said that building TMT at La Palma would be a “great disappointment.”

Dr. Racine said Canadian astronomy would lose too much if it follows TMT to La Palma, but concedes that his opinion “is not the majority view in the community.”

A 2004 artist’s concept of the Thirty Meter Telescope.

TODD MASON/THIRTY METER TELESCOPE PROJECT

In January, University of Waterloo astrophysicist Michael Balogh was tasked with chairing a committee to address questions about the TMT project and the La Palma site on behalf of professional astronomers across Canada. The committee is now holding web seminars to inform the community on various technical details.

“If we have to go to the alternate site then we need to understand what the impact will be on the science performance of TMT,” Dr. Balogh said.

In the coming months, the committee will issue a report that will be taken on board as a recommendation from the community to help steer Canada’s long-term goals in astronomy.

Meanwhile, Canada’s rank-and-file astronomers who are hoping to some day make discoveries using TMT are wondering how it will all play out. Many expressed mixed feelings.

Kim Venn, an astronomer at the University of Victoria, said that, for her part, TMT at La Palma would perform well for the kind of research she does on metal-poor stars. But she also wonders what other big and possibly unforeseen discoveries might be precluded if the giant telescope ends up there.

Asked what outcome she is wishing for, Dr. Venn paused and said, “I wish for TMT on Mauna Kea – period.”

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article included incorrect labelling on one map. The map of the Canary Islands incorrectly labelled the island of Gran Canaria as Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.