Situation: There is a unique gateway on earth, a portal, to the most distant reaches of the cosmos. It's a place where ancient light, snared at last after traveling for billions of years, whispers tales from th dawn of time. The gateway lies in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on the big island of Hawaii, and it's called Mauna Kea; it's 13,796 foot summit are the magnificent trappers of primeval light: 11 observatories!