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Actor Jason Momoa, who has born in Hawaii, visited the hundreds of demonstrators encamped at the base of Mauna Kea on the Big Island on Wednesday.
Momoa, best known for playing comic book superhero Aquaman in the movies, was welcomed with a ceremony complete with hula dances and chanting.
Groups opposed to construction of the Thirty-Meter Telescope have blocked a road leading to the top of Mauna Kea for weeks to keep trucks from bringing heavy equipment up the mountain. Mauna Kea — which rises more than 13,000 feet above sea level and is already home to a number of telescopes — is considered sacred ground by some Native Hawaiians.
Scientists covet the mountain because the dark skies at its summit make for perfect space watching.
“The summit of Mauna Kea may, in fact, be the darkest site anywhere in the world … which of course means you can see deeper into space,” said Doug Simons, executive director at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope.
Hawaii Gov. David Ige also said the state had extended the permit which would allow the Thirty-Meter Telescope to start construction for two more years.
Protesters got support from The Rock
CNN’s Theresa Waldrop, Madeline Holcombe, Hollie Silverman and Chris Boyette contributed to this report.
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