The decision comes after a year of backlash from astronomers who have been relying on the telescopes under Chile’s world-class skies. They feared that light pollution from the project would ruin their celestial views. An ESO study had predicted that the project, called INNA (Integrated Energy Infrastructure Project for the Generation of Hydrogen and Green Ammonia), would increase light pollution by at least 35 percent for Paranal’s Very Large Telescope, a set of four interlinked 8.2-meter observatories at the forefront of astronomical research. The study also found that INNA’s operations would increase atmospheric turbulence, muddying what would otherwise be sharp images of the heavens from nearby telescopes.
You must log in or # to comment.