but by then it could be too late.” And so, as our planet gets warmer and warmer, we’ll likely witness more and more instruments like Santana-Ros’ getting shut down. We’ll see more nights of stargazing compromised, more telescopes blinded by the haze of climate change, and more of the universe’s secrets kept from us. We’ll see less and less of the universe, and be left with nothing but the lonely space machines.
Toni Santana-Ros is an asteroid hunter affected by climate change, leading to telescope shutdowns and fewer observations of the universe.
wake us up to the fact that we are on a path to destruction.”
Toni Santana-Ros is an asteroid hunter, who works as a planetary scientist at the University of Alicante in Spain. Last year, he had to spring into action when astronomers realized an asteroid named 2022 WJ1 was headed straight for the border of Canada and the US. Fortunately, the asteroid was small and just produced a spectacular fireball.
Climate change is already affecting astronomy and the work of astronomers like Santana-Ros. Global warming is leading to an increase in wildfire occurrence and severity, which can shut down telescopes for weeks at a time. This prevents astronomers from using telescopes for regular observations, and can also be a risk for real threats.
A recent paper published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, focuses on how climate change could negatively impact the quality of astronomical observations by 2050. It looks at the impact of climate change on eight major optical telescopes scattered across the globe. The paper predicts that there will be an increase in what’s known as specific humidity and precipitable water vapor in the coming years, which will absorb the light that telescopes are trying their hardest to catch.
Climate change has altered our relationship with Earth, and is also damaging our relationship with the rest of the universe. Global warming is making it harder for ground-based telescopes to alert us about asteroids, show us glistening galaxies and deliver views of mysterious exoplanets.
Scientists are trying to understand the implications of climate change on astronomy, and suggest that future telescopes should consider climate change trends when selecting sites. But even with these efforts, climate change is creating a barrier between us and the stars, and reducing the amount of light that we have access to. We need to take urgent action to reduce the effects of climate change, or else we risk losing our connection to the stars.
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