Science Too much light: astronomers worry about telescopes in Chile
An industrial facility is planned in the immediate vicinity of the Paranal Observatory in the Chilean Atacama Desert. It could severely disrupt the work of scientists using the powerful telescopes.
18.03.2025, 05:00
SDA
The mega-industrial project Inna would increase light pollution over the Very Large Telescope by at least 35 percent and over the southern site of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory by more than 50 percent, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) announced after evaluating a technical analysis. Air turbulence and vibrations emanating from the facility could also impair the functioning of several astronomical facilities such as the Extremely Large Telescope, which is still under construction.
"Light pollution robs us of a shared view of the universe"
"With brighter skies, we severely limit our ability to directly detect Earth-like exoplanets, observe faint galaxies and even monitor asteroids that could harm our planet," says ESO's representative in Chile, Itziar de Gregorio-Monsalvo. "We are building the largest and most powerful telescopes in the best place on Earth for astronomy, so that astronomers worldwide can see what no one has seen before. Light pollution from projects like Inna not only hinders research, but robs us of a shared view of the universe."
ESO calls for more distance
The planned Inna industrial plant will produce green hydrogen and green ammonia. ESO assumes that the US energy supplier AES will install at least 1,000 light sources in the complex. "ESO and its member states fully support the decarbonization of energy supply. We believe that Chile should not have to choose between building the most powerful astronomical observatories and developing green energy projects. Both are declared strategic priorities of the country and are fully compatible - if the different facilities are located at a sufficient distance from each other," said ESO Director General Xavier Barcons.
