'World's Darkest Skies' Under Threat From New Industrial Plant

'World's Darkest Skies' Under Threat From New Industrial Plant.The world's darkest skies are under threat from an industrial megaproject that could permanently hamper our knowledge of the heavens. The world-renowned Paranal Observatory in Chile's Atacama Desert peers through what are known as the clearest and darkest skies on the planet, owing to the lack of light and industrial pollution and the lack of clouds. However, that could change forever due as a proposed industrial complex by AES Andes, a subsidiary of the US-based AES Corporation is planned just five to 11 kilometres away from the observatory. The massive industrial site, spanning over 3,000 hectares includes plans for a port, ammonia and hydrogen production plants, and thousands of electricity generation units. Scientists warn that light pollution, dust emissions, and atmospheric turbulence from the project would cause irreversible damage to astronomical observations. Astronomers and conservationists are urging the relocation of the industrial site to preserve the pristine skies above Paranal. Without this action, experts warn that the long-term future of one of the most important astronomical facilities on the planet is at risk.