Дата публикации: 31-07-2026 18:00:00

The Oficina de Protección de la Calidad del Cielo del Norte de Chile (OPCC) — the Chilean body responsible for safeguarding the world's clearest and most precious skies for astronomy — has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with CieloBuio — the leading Italian organization in the coordination for the protection of the night sky.
This partnership represents a significant milestone: CieloBuio is the first and only association in the world to enter into a formal cooperation agreement with the OPCC, supporting the major international astronomical observatories that have endorsed this initiative.
The OPCC was created in 2000 under an agreement between some of the leading international observatories that operate in Chile. This includes the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), who manages NSF NOIRLab (funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation), the Las Campanas Observatory, the European Southern Observatory (ESO), and the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT). OPCC’s work involves promoting compliance with and the development of regulations related to the protection of the night sky, including regulations on the emission of artificial light. The group also advocates for the protection of areas valuable to scientific research and astronomical observation.
CieloBuio is a renowned Italian association dedicated to protecting the night sky and reducing light pollution. For over two decades, it has conducted outreach, awareness-raising, and technical support activities focused on sustainable lighting. It promotes a vision that integrates environmental protection, energy savings, nightscape quality, and the preservation of astronomical heritage. Its work is supported by a national network of collaborators and regional representatives.
The success of this initiative was made possible thanks to the tireless efforts of Rodolfo Angeloni, CieloBuio's representative in Chile and Associate Scientist at the International Gemini Observatory, funded in part by NSF and operated by NOIRLab. Angeloni has been a key figure in facilitating dialogue and building this fundamental transoceanic bridge between Italy and Chile.
“This partnership will allow us to create powerful synergies to advance local initiatives for sustainable, non-polluting lighting across Chile’s astronomical regions. We look forward to a rich exchange of experiences and to building upon the valuable lessons learned by both institutions in our shared mission to protect dark skies,” says Gabriela López, OPCC Director.
Thanks to this new agreement, CieloBuio will provide the OPCC with its experience in lighting technology and in technical dialogue with municipal administrations, exporting a successful model based on proven and rigorous regulatory, technical, and lighting standards. In turn, the OPCC will be a valuable scientific partner for CieloBuio, developing illustrative, informative, and educational materials at all levels to be promoted in Italy as well.
The collaboration plan includes jointly organizing seminars, developing specialized technical and lighting training activities, and creating shared technical and educational materials aimed at raising public awareness and public relations about the need for eco-sustainable lighting.
More information 
NSF NOIRLab, the U.S. National Science Foundation center for ground-based optical-infrared astronomy, operates the International Gemini Observatory (a facility of NSF, NRC–Canada, ANID–Chile, MCTIC–Brazil, MINCyT–Argentina, and KASI–Republic of Korea), NSF Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), NSF Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), the Community Science and Data Center (CSDC), and NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory (in cooperation with DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory). It is managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) under a cooperative agreement with NSF and is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona. 
The scientific community is honored to have the opportunity to conduct astronomical research on I’oligam Du’ag (Kitt Peak) in Arizona, on Maunakea in Hawai‘i, and on Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachón in Chile. We recognize and acknowledge the very significant cultural role and reverence of I’oligam Du’ag to the Tohono O’odham Nation, and Maunakea to the Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians) community.

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