Chile. Due to the growing number of astronomical projects that are being carried out in the Atacama Desert, in northern Chile, the Ministry of the Environment published a new regulation by which it regulates artificial lighting in cities.
This standard, which will take effect in a year, raises to international standards the regulation to prevent light pollution, modernizing it and matching it to other regions where astronomical research is carried out such as Italy, Spain and the United States. The regions of Antofagasta, Atacama and Coquimbo will be mainly affected.
The standard includes other sources that were not regulated, such as notices and luminous signs, in addition to increasing the requirements for public luminaires. It forces to maintain low levels of higher hemispheric flows of light, avoid double illumination and emission in spectral ranges close to blue.
This is another step that Chile takes to fulfill its purpose of becoming a pole of global astronomical development, through the concentration of about 70% of the most important observatories in the world.
It should be remembered that at the end of last year, the Atacama Desert was the scene of the International Seminar Night Zero, in which 50 scientists, entrepreneurs, academics and researchers from three continents, agreed to promote a global work to reduce light pollution.
In addition, the Chilean government is seeking "StarLight" certification, which guarantees spaces that have optimal conditions for dark skies.
