Astrotourism & Costa Rica’s Night Skies

WHAT IS ASTROTOURISM?

Astrotourism is a niche but rapidly growing segment of the tourism industry – driven by increasing interest in stargazing, celestial events, and the preservation of dark skies, it combines science, nature, and adventure, offering travelers unique opportunities to connect with the universe in breathtaking destinations. And increasingly, one of these destinations is Costa Rica where several dark-sky locations are becoming quietly famous for attracting this new type of vacationer.

Astroutourists seek global locations where the sky is dark enough to see the full wonder of the night sky – entire galaxies, star clusters, atmospheric phenomena, solar system dust clouds,  and nebulae that are usually rendered invisible or faint can come into sharp color & focus under truly dark night skies – with no need for telescopes or binoculars. The Milky Way overwhelms the sky and phenomena like the Zodiac Light & Band and the Gegenschein are glimpsed, perhaps for the first time. The sky is so active and cluttered that familiar constellations get lost in the crowd. A truly amazing and awe-inspiring spectacle.

And because stargazing is a nighttime activity, global locations that also offer daytime attractions excel in attracting the Astrotourist.

COSTA RICA’S DARK SKIES

Costa Rica offers several dark-sky areas – the most famous ones already advertise Astrotourism packages. Straddling the Pacific, these two locations stretch into the dark ocean to leave the city lights in the dust – of course I am talking about Nicoya Peninsula (Guanacaste) in the north and Osa Peninsula in the south. While Nicoya suffers from sprawling light pollution, several areas satisfy the dark sky requirements, and the drier climate present more ideal viewing days. Osa Peninsula, on the other hand, is covered almost in her entirety by nearly pristinely dark skies, however the increased humidity and precipitation can limit the viewing windows.

The two other areas – on the Nicaraguan and Panamanian frontiers – are also excellent, however there is not much there in terms of accommodation, activities, or even roads or people (except perhaps in a small area of the Nicaraguan frontier around La Cruz). Several other locations are scattered around the country including high mountain areas, however they may still suffer from light pollution incursions from below. If you would like to browse the interactive dark sky map used in the images above and below, it can be accessed here.

A few examples of accommodation providers who include a stargazing component:

• Suitree Experience Hotel – a posh, beautiful & unique treehouse resort in Guanacaste.
• Drift Away Lodge – a resort in Guanacaste.
• Four Seasons Resort – here you will drink wine aged with a real meteor fragment before stargazing, also in Guanacaste.
• Luna Lodge, a jungle-immersed eco lodge on the Osa Peninsula

THE BORTLE SCALE

The Bortle Scale is a convenient way of measuring the quality of the dark sky. The poorest values of 8/9 mean only the brightest stars are visible. The other end of the scale presents a dark sky full of stars, objects and phenomena most people have never even heard of.  Of the four Costa Rican dark sky sites mentioned above, only parts of Osa Peninsula present skies with Bortle values that may approach 1 or 2. The other sites are likely to hover around 2 or 3 – still dark enough to amaze.

WHY COSTA RICA?

Several reasons conspire to make Costa Rica a perfect Astrotourism getaway:

• COSTA RICA’S PERFECT LOCATION

Thanks to its proximity to the equator, Costa Rica offers views of both the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere constellations and objects. To an Astrotourist, that is a HUGE bonus.

• A CHOICE OF DARK SKY SITES

Costa Rica’s principal dark night sites give two distinct options. A more developed & posh Nicoya Peninsula about 3-4 hours from San Jose Airport or 1-2 hours from Liberia Airport, or the wild, secluded, primeval & mysterious Osa Peninsula about 6 hours from San Jose Airport (4×4 drive vehicles would be required in most cases).

• BEACHES, ADRENALINE & ECO ACTIVITES

We all know Costa Rica is a famous adventure, eco-tourism, sport fishing, whale watching and beach holiday destination. Attaching an Astrotourism component to our already amazingly rich offering is a no-brainer.

• PROXIMITY

Costa Rica is a mere 2.5-6 hours away from major American cities. London, Paris, and Madrid are 10 hours away via direct flights.

• NEARBY SERVICES & AMENITIES

The two principal dark sky sites in Costa Rica are located in already famous tourism areas. Nicoya Peninsula (Guanacaste) has developed into a surf & beach holiday destination for adventurers, families and A-class celebrities alike. Services and amenities are plentiful, and accommodation options range from hostels to five star luxury resorts, many of which provide a stargazing component to their offer.

Osa Peninsula is less developed but that is a part of her fame – home to the world famous Corcovado National Park which covers most of the land area, Osa nevertheless offers services, amenities and a range of accommodation in her service towns like Drake Bay and Puerto Jimenez.

So if you want class, gleam and luxury you can go to Nicoya. If you want primeval jungle wilds, you can go to Osa. Either way, you will be presented with beautiful, dark skies.

NIGHT SKY PHENOMENA

Let’s take a brief look at some of the night sky wonders which may be seen under darker skies.

• ZODIACAL LIGHT & ZODIACAL BAND

The Zodiacal Light (also called false dawn when seen before sunrise) is a faint glow of diffuse sunlight scattered by Interplanetary Dust. Brighter around the Sun, it appears to extend from the Sun’s direction in a roughly triangular shape along the zodiac, but also stretches with less intensity and visibility along the whole ecliptic as the Zodiacal Band. The Zodiacal Band spans the entire sky and contributes to the natural light of a clear and moonless night sky.

The Interplanetary Dust that produces the Zodiacal Light comes from a variety of sources including comet tails and asteroid collisions. Recent research suggests the shedding atmosphere of Mars is a major contributor as well.

• GEGENSCHEIN

This phenomenon is also caused by Interplanetary Dust. It is a part of the above mentioned Zodiacal Band – forming a faint bright area in the night sky centered at the antisolar point, or the point on the opposite side of the sun. The backscatter of sunlight by interplanetary dust causes this optical phenomenon. The Gegenschein is very faint and visible only under the most pristine dark sky conditions.

• MILKY WAY

Our galaxy becomes dimly visible at the 6/7 value of the Bortle scale. In darker sky areas it explodes with colors, textures, and brightness. Some parts sparkle with stars while others are hidden behind dark interstellar dust clouds. EVERY star we see in our night sky is a part of the Milky Way galaxy. What is not a star is itself a galaxy, so far away that it appears as a bright star-like point of light.

The composite panorama of the entire dark night sky presented in her full glory below.  The bright white band streaking from left to right is Zodiacal Band, created by sunlight scattering off interplanetary dust. The two glowing ends of this band make up the Zodiacal Light. This light can be so bright that it can easily be mistaken for light pollution on a dark night. The bright patch of light at the center of the image is directly opposite the Sun in the sky – the Gegenschein. The distinct band of the Milky Way is clearly visible crossing the Zodiacal Band as a sharp angle.

• AIRGLOW

Airglow is a faint emission of light by our atmosphere. This optical phenomenon causes the night sky never to be completely dark, even after the effects of starlight and diffused sunlight from the far side are removed. Airglow is caused by sunlight splitting atmospheric molecules which release light that produces the daytime Airglow, way too faint to be seen in daylight. During the night Airglow occurs as nightglow, resulting from the recombination of the molecules which were split during the daytime.

• NEBULAE, GALAXIES AND STAR CLUSTERS

Dozens and dozens of sky objects come into focus as the sky darkens. Star clusters turn bright & brilliant, nebulae come alive with colors, and fuzzy galaxies stretch across the skies.

COSIDERATIONS

It is important to choose the right time for stargazing. When the moon is bright its light will wash out the sky – so nights within a few days of the New Moon are perfect, as are times when the larger moon is still below the horizon. This means that excursions would need to be made either in the first half or second half of the night, depending on the moon phase.

In countries like Costa Rica it is also advisable to avoid visiting, for the purposes of Astrotourism, in the wetter months. The north parts of the country are much direr but they do not escape the wetness, cloudiness and humidity of the wet season.

WHAT CAN WE DO?

It has been estimated that 83% of the world’s people live under light-polluted skies and that 23% of the world’s land area is affected by skyglow – which is defined as a sky so light-polluted that it reflects a glow back towards the earth, often bright enough to read a book by.

Thankfully, very simple steps can be taken to minimize light pollution. It takes both individual & community effort, as in the success story of Flagstaff, Arizona, which became a posterchild for the dark sky movement (more about Flagstaff at the end of the article).

• Streetlight Controllers use sensors to dim a streetlight during certain night hours or perform dynamic monitoring by dimming the light when no traffic is detected.
• Image-Based Street Lighting – This system further enhances the intelligence of the fixture by managing brightness levels based on identification of cars, pedestrians, and bicycles. It uses sophisticated cameras and sensors to select the most optimum lighting strength.
• Lighting Intensity – many outdoor lights including streetlights are simply too bright. There would be no drawbacks in dimming them, and not only would they open up the skies but also save energy and give people a more comfortable sleeping environment.
• Lighting Temperature (color) – cooler light temperatures (meaning more towards orange and red) preserve the dark skies while higher temperatures (blue, white) lighting contributes to glare & skyglow. Unfortunately, the recent advent of LED lighting is leading to the replacement of cool, orange sodium lights with warm and hot bluish and white LED lighting.
• Unnecessary lighting – billboards, business signs, building illuminations, decorative holiday lighting, empty commercial building & sport facility lighting, empty carparks, etc – these can be flicked off in the late hours of the night.
• Lampshades – outdoor lighting fixtures are being designed with the night sky in mind – special covers or design elements ensure that the light is focused downwards only, with minimal leakage of light pollution towards the night sky.
• Individual Effort – dimming or turning off your outside lighting such as lamps & pool lights is always an option. This has to be balanced with security requirements for your property. Perhaps motion-sensor lighting could replace some permanent outside illumination? You can also use cooler lighting colors both inside and outside – not only will this limit skyglow, the cooler colors are also more relaxing and associated with much better sleep.

IMAGINE standing under pristinely dark skies and enjoying wonders and spectacles of our universe:

• The Zodiacal Light is visible and colorful
• The Gegenschein is readily visible
• The Zodiacal Band is visible
• Airglow is readily visible
• The summer Milky Way is highly structured
• The Scorpius and Sagittarius regions of the Milky Way cast obvious shadows
• Many constellations, particularly fainter ones, are barely recognizable amid the large number of stars
• Venus and Jupiter affect dark adaptation

FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA

Since 1958, this American city has been taking deliberate efforts to reduce light pollution, being the first city to be awarded an International Dark Sky City designation. The city’s skies are 90% dimmer than should be expected for a similarly sized American city – so residents get a nightly star, constellation and Milky Way show. Flagstaff limits outdoor lighting & commercial lighting and takes steps to ensure outdoor light fixtures prevent light pollution leakage. The local residents take pride in their night skies and do all they can to minimize the light pollution emitted from their homes and properties.

Imagine a country not only blessed by dark and pristine skies, but also drenched in rich natural wonders, stunning beaches, eco-tourism excursions and adrenaline-pumping activities – it is no wonder Costa Rica is making waves as an emerging Astrotourism destination.  And many visitors tend to fall in love with our beautiful Costa Ballena – we invite you to browse the local properties available in our area, knowing that RE/MAX WE SELL PARADISE is your trusted partner in the South Pacific corner of Costa Rica.