Construction of the $1.3 billion Thirty Meter Telescope atop Mauna Kea on Hawaii's Big Island could start as early as this fall. The telescope, the largest of its kind, will allow researchers to study planets in our solar system, explore other galaxies and help determine the age of the oldest stars in the universe. The Thirty Meter Telescope has been in production for about 10 years, said Ed Stone, a professor of physics at the California Institute of Technology and the new executive director of…