Ambassadors from ESO Member States gather to discuss the importance of northern Chile’s dark skies

On Tuesday, November 26, at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) offices in Santiago, ambassadors from its Member States gathered to discuss the importance of protecting the dark skies of northern Chile. This region hosts the world’s leading international astronomical projects of recent decades.  

The ambassadors were welcomed by ESO’s management team, which was led by Xavier Barcons, Director General; Andreas Kaufer, Director of Operations; Thomas Klein, Director of ESO’s La Silla – Paranal Observatory; and Luis Chavarría and Itziar de Gregorio, ESO’s Representative and Deputy Representative in Chile, respectively.  

The meeting took place in the context of implementing Chile’s new lighting regulation, which became effective last October. This new regulatory framework aims to control artificial light emissions and prevent light pollution nationwide. Additionally, it includes special rules for 29 municipalities declared as Areas of Scientific Value for Astronomical Observation by Chile’s Ministry of Science. The La Silla, Paranal, and ALMA observatories are all located within these protected zones.  

“Today, we are here with the ambassadors of our Member States to highlight the value of Chile’s skies and, more importantly, to explore how we can implement new measures to protect and preserve this extraordinary natural laboratory, which is not only for Chile but for all humanity,” said Luis Chavarría.  

During the meeting, the ESO team emphasised the unique conditions of northern Chile, especially those of the Paranal Observatory, which provides a unique window to the Universe and is currently home to ESO’s Very Large Telescope. Paranal will also host two key projects in the future: the southern array of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory and ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope, the latter being the world’s largest optical telescope currently under construction.  

“Chile’s skies are the best in the world for astronomy, and they are a source of pride for all Chileans. That is why we must protect them. This is one of the main reasons why the largest telescopes in the world are located here in our country,” said Itziar de Gregorio, ESO’s Deputy Representative in Chile.  

The discussion also highlighted the challenges threatening this privileged region, particularly light pollution resulting from other activities developed in the area, which could jeopardise the scientific relevance of Chile’s astronomical observatories.  

Courtesy of European Southern Observatory