{"id":35275,"date":"2014-03-20T10:34:36","date_gmt":"2014-03-20T15:34:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/?p=35275"},"modified":"2014-03-20T10:34:36","modified_gmt":"2014-03-20T15:34:36","slug":"how-the-west-texas-energy-boom-threatens-astronomy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/2014\/03\/20\/how-the-west-texas-energy-boom-threatens-astronomy\/","title":{"rendered":"How the West Texas Energy Boom Threatens Astronomy"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_35277\"  class=\"wp-caption module image center\" style=\"max-width: 620px;\"><a class=\"fancybox\" title=\"A glow over the northern horizon at McDonald Observatory near Ft. Davis,Texas. The light is generated by round-the-clock oil and gas operations in the Permian Basin.\" href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/files\/2014\/03\/bill_wren_light_mcdonald.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-35277\" alt=\"A glow over the northern horizon at McDonald Observatory near Ft. Davis,Texas. The light is generated by round-the-clock oil and gas operations in the Permian Basin.\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/files\/2014\/03\/bill_wren_light_mcdonald-620x215.jpg\" width=\"620\" height=\"215\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/files\/2014\/03\/bill_wren_light_mcdonald-620x215.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/files\/2014\/03\/bill_wren_light_mcdonald-300x104.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/files\/2014\/03\/bill_wren_light_mcdonald.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Bill Wren<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">A glow over the northern horizon at McDonald Observatory near Ft. Davis,Texas. The light is generated by round-the-clock oil and gas operations in the Permian Basin.<\/p><\/div>\n<h4><em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.fronterasdesk.org\/content\/9559\/west-texas-energy-boom-threat-astronomy\">From the Fronteras Desk:\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/h4>\n<p>FT. DAVIS, Texas \u2014 World-class observatories like\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.mtwilson.edu\/\" target=\"target_blank\">Mount Wilson<\/a>near Los Angeles and\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.astro.caltech.edu\/palomar\/\" target=\"target_blank\">Palomar<\/a>\u00a0north of San Diego are cramped by the intrusion of urban light to once unspoiled night skies.<\/p>\n<p>Facing the same problem in the 1970s, scientists at Kitt Peak National Observatory south of Tucson\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/reporting\/2007\/08\/20\/070820fa_fact_owen\" target=\"target_blank\">persuaded<\/a>\u00a0that city and others in Arizona to pass lighting ordinances.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/140536810&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_artwork=true\" height=\"166\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Now, the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/mcdonaldobservatory.org\/\" target=\"target_blank\">McDonald Observatory<\/a>\u00a0in remote West Texas \u2014 home to the largest telescope in North America \u2014 is suddenly dealing with unwanted light. The Texas oil and gas boom is responsible. Cutting edge research could be at risk. But the observatory is trying to convince industry to retool using a relatively simple solution.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>The 82-inch\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/mcdonaldobservatory.org\/research\/telescopes\/Struve\" target=\"target_blank\">Otto Struve telescope\u00a0<\/a>is an optical telescope that draws researchers from around the world.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a certain group of us hard core visual astronomers just wanna look through an eyepiece, don\u2019t care about cameras, photographs, just wanna see it,&#8221; said amateur researcher Jim Fowler of Ft. Davis. &#8220;This scope is the Holy Grail.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But since 2010, the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.fronterasdesk.org\/content\/9177\/permian-basin-declared-nations-largest-oil-production-center\" target=\"target_blank\">exponential growth of oil and gas<\/a>\u00a0in the Permian Basin \u2014 a 24\/7 complex of wells and rigs across Texas and New Mexico \u2014 has generated tapestries of light reflecting off the sky.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_35279\"  class=\"wp-caption module image left\" style=\"max-width: 300px;\"><a class=\"fancybox\" title=\"A view of Los Angeles from Mount Wilson in 1908.\" href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/files\/2014\/03\/mt_wilson_near_LA__1908_0.png\" rel=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-35279\" alt=\"A view of Los Angeles from Mount Wilson in 1908.\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/files\/2014\/03\/mt_wilson_near_LA__1908_0-300x140.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"140\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/files\/2014\/03\/mt_wilson_near_LA__1908_0-300x140.png 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/files\/2014\/03\/mt_wilson_near_LA__1908_0.png 593w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Courtesy of Mount Wilson Observatory<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view of Los Angeles from Mount Wilson in 1908.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Unchecked, the growing gleam could compromise leading research into dark energy that McDonald Observatory is famous for. Dark energy is the undefined, unknown power behind the expansion of the universe.<\/p>\n<p>But there\u2019s a way out, said Bill Wren of the observatory. First you talk to players in the oil patch.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_35280\"  class=\"wp-caption module image left\" style=\"max-width: 300px;\"><a class=\"fancybox\" title=\"The same view over Los Angeles in 2008.\" href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/files\/2014\/03\/mt_wilson_near_LA_2008.png\" rel=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-35280\" alt=\"The same view over Los Angeles in 2008.\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/files\/2014\/03\/mt_wilson_near_LA_2008-300x65.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"65\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/files\/2014\/03\/mt_wilson_near_LA_2008-300x65.png 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/files\/2014\/03\/mt_wilson_near_LA_2008-620x135.png 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/files\/2014\/03\/mt_wilson_near_LA_2008.png 1387w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Courtesy of Mount Wilson Observatory<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">The same view over Los Angeles in 2008.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not on their radar. I mean, I wouldn\u2019t call it ignorance,&#8221; he said. &#8220;There\u2019s no blip on the screen for them to ignore. It\u2019s not an issue they\u2019ve even heard of before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So Wren pitches safety, if not altruism. It\u2019s all about reorienting the way oil and gas companies light their derricks and wells.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you think about where the light goes when it leaves the floodlight, that [if] aimed sideways, half the light goes up into the sky,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;So if they aim the floodlight down they can reclaim that wasted uplight, get twice as much light on their worksite and keep the skies darker overhead,&#8221; Wren pointed out.<\/p>\n<p>In 2011, the Texas legislature\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.texasmonthly.com\/story\/afraid-losing-dark\" target=\"target_blank\">ordered<\/a>\u00a0seven counties around the observatory to mitigate light pollution.<\/p>\n<p>Near Ft. Davis, on a cliff beside a cluster of domes and telescopes, astronomer Stephen Odawhan said the story of Mount Wilson Observatory north of Los Angeles speaks volumes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s where in fact the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/Science\/2014\/0317\/Big-bang-waves-direct-evidence-of-universe-s-extraordinary-expansion-video\" target=\"target_blank\">expansion\u00a0<\/a>of the universe was discovered,&#8221; Odawhan said. &#8220;And it\u2019s hardly used at all for optical astronomy anymore because Los Angeles is just so bright. And that\u2019s sort of the same way Mt. Palomar is going, at the 200-inch telescope that for years and years was the largest telescope in the world. It\u2019s basically becoming an infrared telescope now because the optical sky is just becoming too, too bright to do the optical work.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Some in the energy industry appear to at least be listening.<\/p>\n<p>Stacy Locke is the CEO of\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bizjournals.com\/sanantonio\/blog\/2014\/03\/pioneer-energy-services-closes-300-million-debt.html\" target=\"target_blank\">Pioneer Energy Services<\/a>\u00a0of San Antonio. Prompted by McDonald Observatory, Locke began checking the lights his workers use.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the drillers had put a rag up to block the lighting because it was shining in his eyes,&#8221; Locke said. &#8220;He couldn\u2019t see his instrument panels.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So Locke ordered an experiment. He put directional shade panels on the lights on one of his rigs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ll end up with better lighting really than we would with the lighting that we had because it went to 360 degrees. So with the shading you can focus the light downward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doing the right thing doesn&#8217;t come without a cost. Locke runs 18 rigs in the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.fool.com\/investing\/general\/2014\/03\/02\/which-billionaire-is-betting-a-fortune-on-the-us-o.aspx\" target=\"target_blank\">Permian Basin<\/a>. Those rigs move like nomads every two to four weeks in search of new oil and gas.<\/p>\n<p>Just adding panels costs up to $15,000 for each rig. Locke says the energy sector wants to do right by the environment.<\/p>\n<p>But his company currently stands as one of the few trying to mitigate light in an industry largely unaware of its potential effect on astronomy and science.<\/p>\n<p>Wren said something beyond scientific research is at stake.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think the consequences for losing touch with the starry sky are beyond what we can imagine at this point in time. It\u2019s kinda cliche for me, but what if Van Gogh were alive today? Would he be inspired to paint\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.moma.org\/learn\/moma_learning\/vincent-van-gogh-the-starry-night-1889\" target=\"target_blank\">\u201cStarry Night\u201d<\/a>\u00a0again? I mean, could he even see the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.space.com\/14249-milkyway-galaxy-photos.html\" target=\"target_blank\">Milky Way\u00a0<\/a>from Saint R\u00e9my in France? And the answer is no he couldn\u2019t. It\u2019s light polluted,\u201d Wren said.<\/p>\n<p>By 2015, McDonald Observatory will complete a major upgrade to its historic\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.as.utexas.edu\/mcdonald\/het\/het.html\" target=\"target_blank\">Hobby-Eberle<\/a>telescope. If a solution to bright skies is found, the upgrade will allow three-dimensional glimpses into the way the universe was 11 billion years ago, adding to our understanding of the origins of life.<\/p>\n<p>The challenge now is to get major players in the oil patch to care.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From the Fronteras Desk:\u00a0 FT. DAVIS, Texas \u2014 World-class observatories like\u00a0Mount Wilsonnear Los Angeles and\u00a0Palomar\u00a0north of San Diego are cramped by the intrusion of urban light to once unspoiled night skies. Facing the same problem in the 1970s, scientists at Kitt Peak National Observatory south of Tucson\u00a0persuaded\u00a0that city and others in Arizona to pass lighting [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[59],"tags":[15,21,105],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35275"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/50"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35275"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35275\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35284,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35275\/revisions\/35284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}