Renowned astronomers push to protect Chile’s cherished night sky from an industrial project

Chile's Atacama Desert is one of the darkest spots on Earth, a crown jewel for astronomers who flock to study the origins of the universe in this inhospitable desert along the Pacific coast. A rare confluence of factors makes the Atacama an ideal home for some of the world's biggest ground-based astronomical projects—dry climate, high altitude, and crucially, isolation from the light pollution of civilization. “It's a perfect cocktail for astronomy,” said Daniela González, executive director of the Skies of Chile Foundation, a nonprofit that defends the quality of the country's night skies. But that may not be the case for much longer, a group of leading scientists warned in an open letter to Chile's government. A private company is pressing ahead with plans to construct a giant renewable energy complex in sight of one of Earth's most productive astronomical facilities—the Paranal Observatory, operated by an international consortium known as the European Southern Observatory, or ESO. In the letter, 30 renowned international astronomers, including Reinhard Genzel, a 2020 Nobel laureate in astrophysics who conducted much of his prize-winning research on black holes with the ESO-operated telescopes in the Atacama Desert, describe the project as “an imminent threat” to humanity's ability to study the cosmos and unlock more of its unknowns. “The damage would extend beyond Chile's borders, affecting a worldwide scientific community that relies on observations made at Paranal to study everything from the formation of planets to the early universe,” the letter reads. “We are convinced that economic development and scientific progress can and must coexist to the benefit of all people in Chile, but not at the irreversible expense of one of Earth's unique and irreplaceable windows to the universe.” The scientists join a chorus of voices that have been urging the Chilean government to relocate the hydrogen-based fuel production plant since the plan was unveiled a year ago by AES Chile, an offshoot of the American-based multinational AES Corp. In response to a request for comment, AES Chile said that its own technical studies showed the project would be fully compatible with astronomical observations and compliant with the Chilean government's strict regulations on light pollution. This article was provided by The Associated Press.