Work on the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope atop Mauna Kea is temporarily halted — but much activity has swirled around the project since March 6, when the state Land Board signed off on a notice to proceed with construction. Some 31 protesters — or "protectors" — were arrested April 2 on Mauna Kea; Gov. David Ige on April 7 declared a "timeout," which is set to expire Monday; University of Hawaii regents on Thursday held a special meeting in Hilo on the issue, hearing mostly opposition from Native Hawaiians; and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, which has been on the record for some six years supporting TMT, will likely reassess at its April 23 meeting.

All this momentum comes after a decade of planning, environmental impact study, many public hearings, mitigations and lawsuits. The $1.4 billion TMT, the biggest telescope among 13 others already on Mauna Kea, would be for international research to see in greater detail much fainter and more distant objects than currently possible.

Most recently, social media has spread the indigenous cause worldwide — but strong opinions, for and against TMT, range amid the Native Hawaiian community.