German Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist Reinhard Genzel has penned a letter urging the government of Chile to halt the development of a green hydrogen plant in the vicinity of one of the world’s top astronomical observatories.
In the letter, Genzel and 30 other world-leading astronomers urge Chilean leaders to protect the pristine, unpolluted night sky above Cerro Paranal, an 8,740-foot-high (2,664-meter) peak in the Atacama Desert that is home to the European Southern Observatory‘s (ESO) most valuable astronomical observatories including the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), which when built will be the world’s largest telescope.
The astronomers believe that the Paranal Observatory, currently considered among the least light-polluted astronomical sites in the world, will suffer if a planned clean hydrogen plant gets a go-ahead.
Recent Comments