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(meteorobs) Fwd: IAU Press Release on "Technological Fog"
Something of interest to all sky watchers, not
only for meteor observers. Now, if only something can be done
about light pollution.
Mike
-------------------------
>
> Dear subscribers,
>
> the following text is sent on behalf of the International Astronomical
> Union (IAU; www.iau.org). It was released in Vienna (Austria) in
> connection with a Press Conference, held on Friday, July 16, 1999, at
> the conclusion of IAU Symposium 196 "Preserving the Astronomical Sky".
> It is only available in ASCII format.
>
> Kind regards,
>
> ESO EPR Dept.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> For Immediate Release
> 16 July 1999
>
> "Technological Fog" May Cut Off Humans
> From Rest of Universe, Astronomers Warn
>
> Humans may cut themselves off from valuable new knowledge about the
> rest of the universe in a few years by enveloping the Earth in a fog
> of light and radio emissions, an international group of astronomers
> warned today.
>
> Astronomical research, which has strongly contributed to human
> progress for thousands of years, now is under threat from activities
> in space and on the ground, according to the conclusions of a special
> environmental symposium of the International Astronomical Union (IAU)
> attended by scientists from 25 countries. The symposium, "Preserving
> the Astronomical Sky," was held July 12-16 at the United Nations
> facilities in Vienna, Austria.
>
> "The threats to astronomy not only jeopardize our ability to gain
> important new scientific knowledge by studying the universe, but also
> will increasingly affect other human activities," said Dr. Johannes
> Andersen, General Secretary of the IAU. "In particular, outer space,
> once a pristine environment, is rapidly becoming overexploited and
> polluted," Andersen added.
>
> The symposium participants called for international cooperation to
> reduce the threats of light pollution, radio interference and space
> debris. "These problems are global in scale and effect, and long-term
> in nature. International efforts are needed to resolve them, as the
> UN already has done for the oceans and the Antarctic continent,"
> Andersen said.
>
> Specifically, the astronomers reported that:
>
> "Wasted light" spilled into the night sky has made much of the world
> unsuitable for astronomical research. In addition, this problem costs
> billions of dollars that otherwise could be spent for more productive
> uses. One report presented at the symposium, showed, for example,
> that wasted light measured from space costs at least USD $720,000
> annually in Vienna, $2.9 million in London, $4.2 million in
> Washington, D.C., and $13.6 million in New York City. The solution is
> to use good outdoor lighting techniques that not only protect the
> astronomical sky but also improve nighttime visibility, safety and
> security as well as save the money now used to produce the wasted
> light - a true win-win situation.
>
> Radio signals from satellites and airborne platforms now threaten our
> ability to study the extremely faint radio emissions from celestial
> objects. This imperils radio astronomy, which has revolutionized our
> understanding of the universe in the past half-century, including the
> discovery of pulsars, quasars and the radio-emitting "afterglows" of
> gamma ray bursts. Radio astronomers were the first to suffer from
> interference such as that coming from globe- girdling systems of
> communication satellites that cannot be avoided, even in the most
> remote parts of the world. They pointed out that radio telescopes are
> so sensitive that a hand-held wireless telephone placed on the Moon
> would be one of the "brightest" objects in the radio sky. However,
> others now are beginning to feel the effects, including users of
> navigational and environmental-studies satellites. With proper
> engineering techniques and reasonable regulation, the interference
> problem can be controlled at marginal cost, allowing astronomers to
> continue studying the universe and others to use radio communication
> facilities. The astronomers also called for the establishment of
> regions on the Earth to be designated "radio-quiet zones" where the
> most important radio observatories of today and tomorrow can be
> protected from interference. The science ministers of the
> Organizationfor Economic Cooperation and Development, meeting in Paris
> last month, underlined the urgency of this problem. They agreed to
> establish a high-level task force to develop long-term solutions that
> will safeguard both humankind's radio windows on the universe and the
> efficient development of commercial telecommunications.
>
> The outer space environment is being degraded by the proliferation of
> orbiting debris that can damage or destroy manned and unmanned
> satellites, and already interferes with ground-based astronomy. A
> scientist at the symposium reported that there is an estimated 2,000
> tons of material in low Earth orbit and that the Earth currently is
> circled by more than 100,000 objects larger than 1 centimeter.
>
> Large, bright objects in space could have ruinous effects on astronomy
> as well as on the natural nighttime environment and the cultural
> values of people around the world. There are proposals for mirrors to
> direct sunlight toward Earth, "artistic" or celebratory objects in
> space such as a "star of tolerance" satellite, and advertisements in
> orbit. Some of these objects would be so bright that they would
> permanently damage the eyesight of anyone who might look at them with
> binoculars, according to a report presented to the symposium.
>
> "Astronomy is a vigorous science that continues to rivet the attention
> of millions of people worldwide. It has given us many important
> contributions and a sense of our place in a vast and exciting
> universe. The night sky is an integral part of the cultural heritage
> of peoples around the world," said Dr. Woodruff Sullivan, of the
> University of Washington, one of the symposium organizers.
>
> "We cannot afford to allow the pollution of the sky - both by light
> and radio waves - to deprive us of the ability to unravel the
> mysteries of the universe. The IAU Symposium called for global
> efforts to resolve pollution problems that already have deprived
> millions of their view of the universe, and threaten cultural
> resources as well as vital research efforts around the world," Dr.
> David Crawford, Executive Director of the International Dark-Sky
> Association, another symposium organizer, said.
>
> Future projects that may degrade the space environment at any
> wavelength of the electromagnetic spectrum should be subject to prior
> international environmental impact assessment before approval, as is
> now done for major projects on Earth, the symposium participants
> recommended.
>
> Media contacts:
>
> Dave Finley, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro, NM USA
> (505) 835-7302
> FAX: (505) 835-7027
> dfinley@nraodot edu
>
> Jacqueline Mitton, Royal Astronomical Society, UK
> +44 (0) 1223 564914
> FAX: +44 (0) 1223 572892
> jmitton@dial.pipex.com
--
41.087N 80.714W 305 meters
Mike DiMuzio mdimuzio@cisnet.com
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