# @unoosa on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DSDMxzVDVac
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/37764184-unoosa-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/80fd2359ef.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-12-09T16:49:10.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** UNOOSA (@unoosa) — https://gondola.cc/unoosa

## Caption

🌌 How do we balance the needs of astronomy with those of humanity?
 
Can our night sky remain dark and quiet in an era of large constellations of satellites?
 
These questions launched Day 1 of the UN/ skaobservatory (SKAO) Workshop on Dark and Quiet Skies for Science & Society in Vienna. Some highlights:
 
🇺🇳In her opening remarks, UNOOSA Director Aarti Holla-Maini reflected on the critical step of COPUOS adding Dark and Quiet Skies to the STSC agenda through 2029. She noted that the rapidly increasing number of satellites and their reflected light and radio emissions pose mounting challenges for astronomy, science and society.
 
🔭SKAO Director-General Philip Diamond underlined how astronomy is the world’s oldest science – “You can use the Moon, Sun and stars to locate yourself anywhere in the world” – and that SKAO remained committed to balancing the needs of astronomy with the needs of humanity, as “the sky is for sharing.”
 
📡 Experts from different observatories (Rubin, Caltech, NAOC, SAASST) showcased how satellite trails and radio interference are increasingly affecting wide-field, time-sensitive observations. internationalastronomicalunion (IAU) President Willy Benz called safeguarding dark and quiet skies “essential for the future of astronomy.”
 
🛠️ Astronomers showcased mitigation actions like brightness-reduction techniques, new data-sharing tools and Telescope Boresight Avoidance. They noted that deeper cooperation with satellite operators and access to operational data remain critical.
 
🌍A powerful panel highlighted the cultural and social dimensions of dark skies. Speakers from New Zealand, South Africa, Indonesia and Thailand stressed that brightening skies threaten indigenous knowledge, cultural practices and astrotourism, particularly in developing countries.
 
💡This workshop is more than a technical exchange—it’s a reminder that preserving dark and quiet skies is a shared responsibility.
 
Stay tuned for more insights over the next three days of dialogue here in Vienna!
 
#DarkAndQuietSkies #astronomy

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## Tags

darkandquietskies, astronomy

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