This archive report was first published on 12 June 2020.
Published on June 12, 2020, the world's most powerful telescopes in northern Chile have been shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, leaving astronomers worried about missing out on supernovas and other celestial events.
The Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), the world's most advanced radio telescope, has been on hold since March 18, along with other observatories in Chile's arid north.
According to astronomer John Carpenter, chief scientist at ALMA, the shutdown means that any Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) or supernovas that occur during this time will be missed, as they are fleeting events that can only be observed for a short period.
"Any GRB or supernova that goes off while we're shut down, we can't really observe it. We will have missed the opportunity to observe it because it catches on so fast and then fades away, so it's these opportunities that are lost," Carpenter said.
The shutdown also affects the observation of Betelgeuse, the giant red star in the constellation of Orion, which has suddenly dimmed, prompting speculation that it could explode in the coming decades.
"We were starting a campaign to observe and monitor it when we had to close -- so we couldn't continue," Carpenter told AFP.
While the pandemic has forced a month-long lockdown of Chile's capital Santiago, with over 2,450 deaths and 150,000 COVID-19 cases, astronomers are optimistic that they will get another chance to observe these celestial events.
"These transitory phenomena are not usually unique. If they occur today, bad luck! But the next year surely many more will come by," said Itziar de Gregorio, head of the science office of the European Southern Observatory (ESO).
