From 5 to 9 October 2020, more than 950 people took part in an online Workshop on Dark and Quiet Skies for Science and Society. Drawing on this event, a report is now available online which describes the impact of human activities on the visibility of the starry sky and the progress of the science of astronomy. Crucially, the document makes recommendations for actions that local governments can take to preserve dark and quiet skies. These topics will be explored further in the SATCON2 workshop in Spring 2021 as well as in an in-person follow-up of the Conference “Dark and Quiet Skies for Science and Society” tentatively scheduled for next autumn in La Palma, Spain.

The report addresses three classes of interference: Artificial Light At Night (ALAN), radio wavelength emission and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite trails. Incorporating suggestions from participants in the workshop, the report has been prepared by more than 85 experts organised across five Working Groups. The Working Groups focused on, respectively: Dark Sky Oases, Optical Astronomy, Bioenvironment, Satellite Constellations and Radio Astronomy.

Each Working Group has made recommendations for steps that can be taken to mitigate the particular effects of the human activities they focused on. Since many of these activities also have important benefits, such as increased safety thanks to urban illumination and network connectivity provided by satellites, care has been taken to recommend actions that reduce their negative impacts without compromising their effectiveness for their original purposes. This is essential for the quick development and implementation of actions to preserve dark and quiet skies, for both scientific exploration and cultural heritage.

In April 2021, an executive summary of this report will be presented to the United Nations Science and Technology Sub-Committee (STSC) of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS). COPUOS requested this meeting and the recommendations with the goal of protecting the science of astronomy. The feedback from the COPUOS STSC will be used to finalise the report, which will then be presented at the full COPUOS meeting in August 2021. 

The online workshop was organised by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the IAU, together with the meeting hosts at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), with support from the National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab. 

More information

The IAU is the international astronomical organisation that brings together almost 12 000 active professional astronomers from more than 100 countries worldwide. Its mission is to promote and safeguard astronomy in all its aspects, including research, communication, education and development, through international cooperation. The IAU also serves as the internationally recognised authority for assigning designations to celestial bodies and the surface features on them. Founded in 1919, the IAU is the world's largest professional body for astronomers.

Links

• Dark & Quiet Skies report
• Dark & Quiet Skies executive summary for UN COPUOS
• Conference website

Contacts

Connie Walker
Cell: +1-520-331-2448 
Email: connie.walker@noirlab.edu 

Piero Benvenuti
Email: piero.benvenuti@unipd.it 

Lars Lindberg Christensen
IAU Press Officer
Garching bei München, Germany
Tel: +49 89 320 06 761
Cell: +49 173 38 72 621
Email: lars@eso.org