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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Nayara Batschke

The threat of light pollution puts the world’s darkest skies in the Atacama Desert at risk

Chile Dark Skies - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

It takes a moment for the eyes to adjust. A faint spark appears in the darkness; then another, brighter one. Soon, stars, planets and entire constellations emerge. Before long, a whole galaxy stretches across the sky, visible to the naked eye.

In Chile’s Atacama Desert, the night sky feels infinite. Considered the driest place on Earth, its darkness is also one of the clearest windows to the universe.

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