Exoplanet Travel Planner

The Exoplanet Travel Planner helps you plan hypothetical journeys to exoplanets and other destinations across the galaxy. Using Einstein's special relativity, it calculates how much time would pass for both the travelers and observers on Earth, along with the food and water supplies needed for the voyage. This tool is perfect for space enthusiasts, science fiction writers, physics students, and anyone curious about the challenges of interstellar travel.

The calculator applies the time dilation formula from special relativity: τ = t × √(1 − v²/c²), where τ is the time experienced by travelers (proper time), t is the time observed from Earth, v is the spacecraft speed, and c is the speed of light. As the spacecraft approaches the speed of light, time dilation becomes extreme — a trip that takes decades on Earth may feel like only a few years for the crew. The calculator also estimates supplies based on approximately 730 kg of food and 1,095 L of water per person per year of ship time.

Eight preset destinations are included from the James Webb Space Telescope's observation targets, ranging from LHS 475 b at 40.7 light-years to the NGC 6822 galaxy at 1.63 million light-years. You can also enter any custom distance. Travel speeds range from 10% to 99.99% of the speed of light, allowing you to explore how relativistic effects change the journey experience. The results include ship time, Earth time, your age on arrival, and total supplies needed.

For accurate results, note that the calculator assumes constant cruising speed with instantaneous acceleration and deceleration. Real interstellar travel would face additional challenges including energy requirements, radiation exposure, life support recycling, and the engineering of propulsion systems capable of reaching relativistic speeds.