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SANTIAGO, Chile 鈥� The Atacama Desert, one of the darkest spots on Earth, is a crown jewel for astronomers. They flock to this inhospitable place along the Pacific coast to study the rest of the universe.

A rare confluence of factors makes the Atacama an ideal home for some of the world鈥檚 biggest ground-based聽astronomical developments聽鈥斅燿ry climate, high altitude and, crucially, isolation from the聽light pollution聽of civilization.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a perfect cocktail for astronomy,鈥� said Daniela Gonz谩lez, executive director of the Skies of Chile Foundation, a nonprofit that defends the quality of the country鈥檚 night skies.

But that may not be the case for much longer,聽a group of leading scientists warned in an open letter聽to Chile鈥檚 government released recently.

A private company is pressing ahead with plans to construct a giant renewable energy complex in sight of one of Earth鈥檚 most productive astronomical facilities 鈥斅爐he Paranal Observatory, operated by an international consortium known as the European Southern Observatory, or ESO.

In the letter, 30 renowned international astronomers, including Reinhard Genzel, a聽2020 Nobel laureate in astrophysics聽who conducted much of his prize-winning research on black holes with the ESO-operated telescopes in the Atacama Desert, describe the project as 鈥渁n imminent threat鈥� to humanity’s ability to study the cosmos, and unlock more of its unknowns.

鈥淭he damage would extend beyond Chile鈥檚 borders, affecting a worldwide scientific community that relies on observations made at Paranal to study everything from the formation of planets to the early universe,鈥� the letter reads.

鈥淲e are convinced that economic development and scientific progress can and must coexist to the benefit of all people in Chile, but not at the irreversible expense of one of Earth鈥檚 unique and irreplaceable windows to the universe.鈥�

The scientists join a chorus of voices that have been urging the Chilean government to relocate the hydrogen-based fuel production plant since the plan was unveiled a year ago by AES Andes, an offshoot of the American-based multinational AES Corp.

In response to a request for comment, AES Corp. stated that its own technical studies showed the project would be fully compatible with astronomical observations and compliant with the Chilean government鈥檚 strict regulations on light pollution.

“We encourage trust in the country鈥檚 institutional strength, which for decades has guaranteed certainty and environmental protection for multiple productive sectors,鈥� the company stated.

The plan, which is still under environmental review, calls for 7,400 acres of wind and solar energy farms, a desalination plant and a new port.

That means not only a major increase in light pollution but also new dust, ground vibrations and heightened atmospheric turbulence that blurs stars and makes them twinkle. All of that 鈥� just 1.9 miles from the Paranal Observatory鈥檚聽high-powered telescopes聽鈥� will mess up views of key astronomical targets and could obstruct scientific advances, experts say.

鈥淎t the best sites in the world for astronomy, stars don鈥檛 twinkle; they are very stable, and even the smallest artificial turbulence would destroy these characteristics,鈥� said Andreas Kaufer, the director of operations at ESO, which assesses that the AES project would increase light pollution by 35 percent.

鈥淚f the sky is becoming brighter from artificial light around us, we cannot do these observations anymore,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e lost. And, since we have the biggest and most sensitive telescopes at the best spot in the world, if they鈥檙e lost for us, they鈥檙e lost for everyone.鈥�

Although this controversy might be specific to Chile, home to 40 percent of the聽world鈥檚 astronomy infrastructure, the project reflects the wider tension between natural darkness and industrialization聽tearing at countless countries聽as light pollution聽makes the night sky about 10 percent brighter each year.

鈥淢ajor observatories have been chased out to remote locations, and essentially now they鈥檙e chased out to some of the last remaining dark sky locations on Earth, like the Atacama Desert, the mountain peaks of Hawaii, areas around Tucson, Arizona,鈥� said Ruskin Hartley, the executive director of DarkSky International, a Tucson-based nonprofit founded by astronomers.

鈥淎ll of them are now at risk from encroaching development and mining. It鈥檚 happening everywhere.鈥�

Editor鈥檚 note: DeBre reported from Buenos Aires, Argentina.