 "Representative. Image Credit: TMT International Observatory")
Astronomers and scientists are warning that light pollution from a planned renewable energy project could threaten the functioning of European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile, Science.com reported.
Light pollution is the excessive or misdirected artificial light that brightens the night sky. The bright sky makes it difficult to see stars and other celestial objects. The experts said that the VLT could lose 30 per cent of its capacity due to light pollution.
To put it simply, light pollution is like trying to see stars while standing under a bright streetlight. The brighter the area around you, the harder it is to see the stars. For the VLT, it could be much harder to observe and study the universe after the project is in operation.
VLT’s location: An ideal spot for observing universe
The European Southern Observatory is located in Chile’s Atacama Desert. It is one of the darkest places on Earth which makes it ideal for observing the night sky.
A US company, AES Energy plans to build a large renewable hydrogen plant in Chile. It will be just a few kilometres from the summit of Mount Paranal where the observatory is located.
The INNA project
However, the light pollution from the INNA project poses greater risks to the operation of the Observatory and the VLT telescope. The INNA project is a $10 billion industrial park covering 3,021 hectares. It will have three solar farms, three wind farms, a battery storage system, and facilities to produce hydrogen, Renewables Now reported.
ESO estimates that the project will create light pollution similar to that of a city with about 20,000 people. Some parts of the park could be as close as 3 miles (5 kilometers) from ESO’s telescopes, and any future expansion could make the light pollution even worse for the Paranal night sky.
VLT is world’s most advanced sky-watching instruments
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is one of the world’s most advanced sky-watching instruments. It was built in the 1990s for about $350 million ($840 million today). It has four 27-foot-wide telescopes that work together to observe distant objects and uncover mysteries of the universe.
However, if the planned hydrogen project is constructed, it could seriously limit the telescope’s observing ability, ESO’s Director General Xavier Barcons said to Science.com.
“The brightness of the sky is going to increase by up to 10% from this project. And that is enough to make a difference between the best observatory in the world and an average observing place,” Barcons said.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsHe emphasised that the observatory might lose the ability to see about 30 per cent of the faintest galaxies. “We’re just starting to study the atmospheres of exoplanets, but if the sky gets brighter, we might lose the chance to see those details,” said Barcons.
To counteract light pollution, observatories might need to invest in more advanced technology or relocate to darker areas. This will be a very expensive process, hindering space exploration.