Dark sky tourism and sustainable development in Namibia

Dalgleish, Hannah S.; Mengistie, Getachew; Backes, Michael; Cotter, Garret; Kasai, E.

doi:10.1017/s1743921321000478

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…itself could benefit in this regard; a Starlink-based internet connection might provide improved stability for data transfer from the telescope site to data processing facilities in Europe at a lower cost. The potential benefits of satellite-constellation-based internet provision must also be weighed against the cultural and economic significance of dark skies in developing countries, as recently studied with respect to Namibia (Dalgleish et al 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of satellite trails on H.E.S.S. astronomical observations

Lang,

Spencer,

Mitchell

2023

A&A

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Context. The number of satellites launched into Earth’s orbit has almost tripled in the last three years (to over 4000) due to the increasing commercialisation of space. Multiple satellite constellations, consisting of over 400 000 individual satellites, have either been partially launched or are proposed for launch in the near future. Many of these satellites are highly reflective, resulting in a high optical brightness that affects ground-based astronomical observations. Despite this caveat, the potential effect of these satellites on gamma-ray-observing Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) has largely been assumed to be negligible due to their nanosecond-scale integration times. However, this assumption has not been verified to date. Aims. As IACTs are sensitive to optical wavelength light, we aim to identify satellite trails in data taken by the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) IACT array. In particular, this study is aimed at quantifying the potential effects on data quality and extensive air shower event classification and reconstruction. Methods. Using night sky background measurements from H.E.S.S., we determined which observation times and pointing directions are affected most by these satellite trails. We then evaluated their impact on the standard Hillas parameter variables used for event analysis. Results. Due to the brightest trails, false trigger events can occur, however, for most modern analyses, the effect on astronomical results will be minimal. We observe a mild increase in the rate of trail detections over time (approximately doubling in three years), which is partially correlated with the number of satellite launches. Overall, the fraction of H.E.S.S. data affected (~0.2% of dark time observations) is currently minimal. We note that these trails could still have a non-negligible effect on future Cherenkov Telescope Array observations if advanced analysis techniques designed to lower the energy threshold of the instrument are applied.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of satellite trails on H.E.S.S. astronomical observations

Lang,

Spencer,

Mitchell

2023

A&A

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“…One of the main efforts has revolved around sustainable astrotourism, whereby indigenous star lore can be preserved, and tour guides can be trained in astronomical knowledge. Such training would thereby empower and equip local guides to give tours of the night sky, and ultimately increase and diversify their personal income as well as supporting rural communities as a whole [6,7].…”

Section: Astronomy Outreach and Capacity-building In Namibiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Astronomy outreach in Namibia: H.E.S.S. and beyond

Dalgleish,

Prokoph,

Zhu

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Astronomy plays a major role in the scientific landscape of Namibia. Because of its excellent sky conditions, Namibia is home to ground-based observatories like the High Energy Spectroscopic System (H.E.S.S.), in operation since 2002. Located near the Gamsberg mountain, H.E.S.S. performs groundbreaking science by detecting very-high-energy gamma rays from astronomical objects. The fascinating stories behind many of them are featured regularly in the "Source of the Month", a blog-like format intended for the general public with more than 170 features to date. In addition to other online communication via social media, H.E.S.S. outreach activities have been covered locally, e.g. through 'open days' and guided tours on the H.E.S.S. site itself. An overview of the H.E.S.S. outreach activities are presented in this contribution, along with discussions relating to the current landscape of astronomy outreach and education in Namibia. There has also been significant activity in the country in recent months, whereby astronomy is being used to further sustainable development via human capacity-building. Finally, as we take into account the future prospects of radio astronomy in the country, momentum for a wider range of astrophysics research is clearly building -this presents a great opportunity for the astronomy community to come together to capitalise on this movement and support astronomy outreach, with the overarching aim to advance sustainable development in Namibia.

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Time Journeys Through the Night Sky

Shaw

2024

Geography of Time, Place, Movement and Networks, Volume 1

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Dark sky tourism and sustainable development in Namibia

Cited by 3 publications

References 3 publications

Impact of satellite trails on H.E.S.S. astronomical observations

Impact of satellite trails on H.E.S.S. astronomical observations

Astronomy outreach in Namibia: H.E.S.S. and beyond

Time Journeys Through the Night Sky

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