Officials said The European Southern Observatory is at serious risk of losing clear skies over the Paranal Observatory in Chile's Atacama Desert. This is because of a proposed industrial development project proposed by a subsidiary of a US energy company.
The Paranal Observatory is home to ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT), which consists of four telescopes each with 27-foot (8.2 meter) mirrors and four auxiliary telescopes with 6-foot (1.8 meter) mirrors. ) when working together The telescope will produce the sharpest view of the universe. Observatory officials have serious concerns that the proposed industrial project will go ahead. This will reduce what Paranal can see. And nighttime visibility in the skies best suited for astronomical research will be permanently changed.
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The project, named Inna, is a proposed industrial scale green hydrogen project. The total project area will cover more than 7,413 acres of Atacama and will include a port. Ammonia and hydrogen production plant and thousands of generators
All of this had to be built from the ground up. The proposed site is 3 to 7 miles (5 to 11 kilometers) from Paranal's telescope. AES Andes submitted an environmental impact assessment for the project to Chilean authorities late last month.
“Like any project, Our partnership with local communities and stakeholders is of utmost importance. To ensure that we support local economic development. while maintaining the highest environmental and safety standards,” said Javier Dib, AES Chilean Market Business Leader, in a statement. Company statement Announcement of delivery
The environmental impact is clearly a concern for European Southern Observatory officials. There are some parts of the Atacama desert. The darkest and clearest sky or anywhere in the world There is little humidity in the air. This causes the amount of light absorbed by water in the atmosphere to decrease. and is at a high altitude This reduces the amount of wobbling that astronomers on Earth often face when imaging distant sources through the atmosphere.
Paranal's unique location and impact
From Atacama Island, Chile, the Very Large Telescope has recorded past and recent astronomical events. Both in our galaxy and beyond our reach in 2021, telescopes Snapshot or the 42 largest asteroids in the solar system Still, space rocks in 2023 when both teams Revealed image of a telescope Or the aftermath of NASA's DART mission, which tested a body's ability to naturally alter its orbit in space. That same year, the telescope alkaline gas cloud that may have formed after the first stars And two months ago Another team used a telescope to capture the image. First picture with details or stars outside our galaxy
This is due to Atacama's natural astronomical attitude. It is home to many current and planned telescopes. Paranal, Rubin Observatory (which houses the world's largest digital camera) are also currently under construction. Giant Magellan Telescope At Las Campanas Observatory, the LSST camera at Rubin Observatory will have first light later this year. It's something to look forward to in a year. Packed with astronomical events–
Itziar de Gregorio, ESO Chilean representative in the observatory, said: “Chile, especially Paranal, is a truly special place for astronomy. Dark skies are a natural heritage that transcends boundaries and benefits humanity.” release– “It is extremely important to consider alternative locations for large-scale projects that do not jeopardize one of the world's most important astronomical properties.”
In the year 2022, the research team meet Light pollution over Paranal is significantly less than at the other 27 major observatories. The research found that two-thirds of all large observatories the team studied had light pollution up 10% above natural levels. expected This indicates that light pollution is already having a serious impact on astronomical observations.
The results of this work are sending what may be the final call for bold, concerted, unambiguous, and uncompromising action to reduce light pollution now. Whether caused by artificial light or by sunlight reflected from artificial objects in orbit, the team writes, “inaction means a continued decline in our ability to explore the universe.”
Astronomy under threat
“The proximity of the AES Andes industrial megaproject to Paranal poses a serious risk to the world's pristine night sky,” said Xavier Barcons, Director General of ESO. “Dust emissions during construction increased turbulence in the atmosphere And light pollution in particular will irreparably affect our ability to make astronomical observations. It is currently attracting billions of euros worth of investment by ESO member state governments.”
Ground-based infrastructure is not the only concern of astronomers. Earth's orbit is full of satellites. This makes photographing the night sky complicated. Large constellations, including SpaceX's Starlink create lines on astronomical images As each spaceship moves across the night sky The satellites even disturbed space telescopes. As seen in some models of the Hubble Space Telescope. picture– have cleaning techniques Astronomical photographs of these lines But it's still a problem.
Light pollution is getting worseAccording to the latest research, in 2023 a group of researchers reviewed more than 50,000 observations worldwide between 2011 and 2022 as part of NOIRLab. globe at night Project. Researchers found that the night sky gets 9.6% brighter each year, causing some dimmer stars to disappear from the sky entirely for some stargazers.
Effects of light pollution on the Atacama and astronomy
Eventually very large telescopes will replace them. very large telescope (I know the invented name) It will be 39 meters in diameter and is set to be the world's largest visible and infrared telescope. The Very Large Telescope will collect 100 million times as much light as the human eye and will reveal details of distant exoplanets, black holes, and galaxy evolution. and the earliest days of the universe The telescope will be installed near the VLT at Cerro Armazones and is expected to see first light in 2028, although ESO website Proposes “end of this decade” to be more cautious
“Astronomical observatories are like canaries in a coal mine,” wrote the team, which assessed the relative darkness of the observatory's sky in a 2022 report. We may forget our ability to solve the problem of light pollution, which is a global environmental problem.” The group also made other observations. Negative effects Light pollution will still exist. Including disruption of heart rhythm. and other negative health effects to the world's biological diversity
In a release, ESO supports the relocation of the AES Andes project, stating that the industrial center move It “remains the only effective way to prevent irreparable damage to Paranal's unique skies.” The company is waiting for word from Chilean authorities on whether the project's environmental impact is small enough to proceed with the proposed move.
The cornerstone of the company's message is to decarbonize the energy matrix and increase the amount of energy coming from renewable sources. There would be a painful irony in Chilean authorities allowing green energy projects to continue in exchange for clear skies for astronomers.