New research reveals that Giant telescopes may not be enough to observe the skies if climate change accelerates. Read to know what the study reveals.
Climate change may change how we observe the skies
Giant telescopes installed in remote areas, deserts, or high up in the mountains help in studying the unending cosmos. They are constructed at selected sites on the Earth to ensure an unhindered view. A new study by researchers from the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) and the University of Bern reveals climate change may create more problems. This is because telescopes are very sensitive to atmospheric conditions in the region.
“Even though telescopes usually have a lifetime of several decades, site selection processes only consider the atmospheric conditions over a short timeframe. Usually over the past five years – too short to capture long-term trends, let alone future changes caused by global warming,” explained Caroline Haslebacher. Haslebacher is the lead author of the study.
What’s next for observatories in the new age?
Previously, light pollution, radio frequency, and satellite trains were believed to be the major threats to conducting ground-based astronomical research. Additionally, Haslebacher reveals that the study will help in understanding the next-gen telescopes should take anthropogenic changes and climate change into consideration. Previously, data from the past was considered while selecting a site to build an observatory. “Nowadays, astronomical observatories are designed to work under the current site conditions and only have a few possibilities for adaptation. Potential consequences of the climatic conditions for telescopes. Therefore, include a higher risk of condensation due to an increased dew point or malfunctioning cooling systems. This can lead to more air turbulence in the telescope dome,” she added.
“This is the first time that such a study has been possible. Thanks to the higher resolution of the global climate models developed through the Horizon 2020 PRIMAVERA project, we were able to examine the conditions at various locations of the globe with great fidelity. Moreover, this is something that we were unable to do with conventional models. These models are also valuable tools for the work we do at the Wyss Academy,” stated Marie-Estelle Demory. Demory is a co-author of the study. She is from the Wyss Academy at the University of Bern.
