At issue is the TMT's planned location on Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano worshiped by some Hawaiians as the piko that connects the Hawaiian Islands to the heavens.

TMT在莫纳克亚山的计划位置还有争议，莫纳克亚这座休眠火山被一些夏威夷人奉为连接夏威夷岛和天堂的脐带。