Latest news with #astrotourism
The Sun
25-05-2025
- Science
- The Sun
‘Beach resort' planet with '20C sea' could be future astro-tourist hotspot – but you may be DEAD by the time you arrive
THERE are planets beyond our own that could be hiding untouched paradises. Exoplanet LHS 1140 b is just one of them - and could make a great beach resort for astro-tourists of the future. 4 4 First unveiled in 2017, LHS 1140 b is 41 light-years away, and may be humanity's best chance of finding liquid water on a world outside our solar system. There's one pretty big hitch, however - anyone boarding a rocket destined for LHS 1140 b would likely die long before they arrived. If they don't, then they would probably be very old, and not quite up for the water sports that could be on the cards. Even the closest of exoplanets are too far away to visit. And although this world is relatively close to our own in cosmic terms, it would still take 41 years to get there - while travelling at the speed of light. Of course, we haven't yet mastered light speed travel - let alone anything faster. But with a possible ocean temperature of 20C (68F), this planet could host some epic beach days in a few millennia - if humans ever master interstellar travel. Last year, after falling under the James Webb Space Telescope 's keen eye, scientists were able to find out more about this distant world. They believe it is a potentially rocky world, much larger than Earth. Best-ever sign of ALIEN life found on distant planet as scientists '99.7% sure of astounding biological activity signal' It has a planet mass of 5.6 Earths and a year that lasts just 25 days, according to Nasa. Data gathered by JWST, the $10 billion telescope Nasa launched into space in 2021, strongly supports LHS 1140 b being an ocean world with a tentative nitrogen atmosphere. However, further observations are needed to fully confirm this. "Detecting an Earth-like atmosphere on a temperate planet is pushing Webb's capabilities to its limits; it's feasible; we just need lots of observing time,' René Doyon, of the International Research & Exchanges Board (iREx) who studied the data, said in a statement last year. 'The current hint of a nitrogen-rich atmosphere begs for confirmation with more data. 'We need at least one more year of observations to confirm that LHS 1140 b has an atmosphere, and likely two or three more to detect carbon dioxide." 4 LHS 1140 b is a super Earth exoplanet that lies in the so-called 'Goldilocks zone' of its nearest star. This is the area around a star where it's neither too hot nor too cold for a world to host liquid water. When the data was pinged back to Earth - a process that miraculously only takes about five seconds - it was the 'first time [scientists] have ever seen a hint of an atmosphere on a habitable zone rocky or ice-rich exoplanet," according to Ryan MacDonald, a Nasa Sagan Fellow in the University of Michigan's Department of Astronomy, who helped analyse LHS 1140 b's atmosphere. JWST data further suggests the exoplanet's mass might be made of between 10 and 20 per cent liquid water. While that could mean the planet looks like one big snowball - the side facing the sun could have a warm liquid ocean, making it look like an eyeball. Charles Cadieux, a doctoral student at the Université de Montréal and lead author of a paper on the discovery, said at the time: "Of all currently known temperate exoplanets, LHS 1140 b could well be our best bet to one day indirectly confirm liquid water on the surface of an alien world beyond our solar system. "This would be a major milestone in the search for potentially habitable exoplanets." 4
CBC
19-05-2025
- CBC
Could much of eastern Ontario become a dark-sky preserve? One group hopes so
It's a massive undertaking, but two men are hoping to turn much of eastern Ontario into a dark-sky preserve — and they're leaning into astrotourism, something they say has been a growing trend since the pandemic. Dark-sky preserves are considered protected areas that try to reduce light pollution and preserve the night sky for animals, insects and plants that rely on it. With that comes astrotourism, where people venture to those areas to see objects in the night sky that aren't visible in cities. "I call it covert environmentalism, but under the hood, it does wonders for people, wilderness, butterflies, bats," said John Criswick, who started the NWNC Dark-Sky Project (which stands for Narrows Lock, Westport, Newboro and Chaffeys Lock) and has been working to get that smaller region declared a preserve through Dark Sky International. They feel that going with that organization, versus the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada — which has certified numerous other preserves in the country — would provide more tourism attention internationally. It also wouldn't be the first in the region to be certfied by DarkSky International, as Mont Tremblant in western Quebec became certified a few years ago. Their undertaking doesn't stop there, however. Within the next few years, they hope to expand the project to cover a roughly 42,000 square-kilometre area that includes about 75 towns and townships and more than half a million residents in eastern Ontario. "It would make it one of the largest dark-sky preserves in Canada," said Criswick. That area would stretch from Cornwall to Hawkesbury, through to Petawawa, Bancroft, Algonquin Provincial Park and down Highway 401. It would exclude municipalities with populations greater than about seven thousand people. While Criswick said it's more of an educational campaign, they'd like to see regulations brought in by municipalities that would cover the types of lights used outside — for instance, a more yellow-red hue for street lamps rather than bright white. That's part of the challenge, Criswick said, as they're up against a growing problem in Canada and around the world — light pollution. 2% of night sky lost every year "One of the biggest things is the cheapness of LED lights," said Bernie Hasselman, part of the light pollution abatement committee with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. "Bright white gives off a lot of blue light and blue light is ... a serotonin inhibitor. So it prevents a lot of the ability for people to get the rest that they need." It's also a growing problem. The world, Hasselman said, is losing about two per cent of the night sky every year to light pollution, a problem that didn't really exist much more than 100 years ago. People who live in urban centres, he said, likely have never seen a truly dark sky unless they've ventured into the country at night. "They've never seen the Milky Way unless they've gone out camping," he said. "It's amazing how fast your eyes can be adjusted to darkness in about 10 minutes," Hasselman added. "But one flash of a flashlight and boom, you're back to starting all over." How to reduce light pollution Part of the initiative involves helping eastern Ontarians understand what light pollution is, and how to reduce it. "If you need some lights to be able to get safely down your steps or get out to your dock, great. If you want to have some lights in your garden, that's great," said Dustin Johnston, who's working with Criswick on the dark-sky project. There are small tweaks, however, that anyone can do, he added. "You can have [those lights] shielded or facing down or have them not super bright. You can have them on the amber spectrum." Before labelling much of the eastern Ontario region a dark-sky preserve, they're aiming toward holding a "dark week" in May 2026 — the 200th anniversary of the start of the construction of the Rideau Canal. "It's interesting to live here and be in eastern Ontario, in this region. It's pristine, it's beautiful. It's dark. It has all those attributes," said Criswick. "We're not really asking anyone to do anything, it's just going forward." Criswick and Johnston are holding a festival in Perth, Ont., on Saturday.
