![]() For instance, when calculating the length of the Earth to the nearest star, a faint red dwarf star named Proxima Centauri, it would be 24,000,000,000,000 miles away. They run into massive numbers if they keep using miles or kilometers when calculating celestial distances. The primary reason why astronomers use light-years is that the distances they work within the known universe are enormous. That’s a more reasonable figure than 25 trillion miles or 40 trillion kilometers. The closest star cluster to the Earth, for instance, is the triple star system of Alpha Centauri, which is around 4.3 light-years away or 272,000 astronomical units. Light years, the same as AU, make cosmic distances more comprehensible. According to the estimated calculations of astronomers, the known universe has a diameter of 28 billion light-years.Ī light-year is a distance you could reach in one whole year if the speed you travel is the same as that of the light, which is 186,000 miles or 300,000 kilometers per second. If you think of it, this may appear to be a considerable distance, but the vastness of the cosmos makes it smaller. As a result, one light-year is equivalent to 5,878,625,370,000 miles or 9.5 trillion kilometer. When calculating the distance traveled in a light-year, the speed is multiplied by the total hours in a year, 8,766. Light travels at 670,616,629 miles per hour or 1,079,252,849 kilometers per hour in a vacuum, a place in space below atmospheric pressure. The speed of light is consistent throughout the universe, and its distance is precise. Nine trillion, when expressed in kilometers, or 63,000, when expressed in astronomical units. This is approximately six trillion miles. A light-year is what you know as the distance traveled by a single photon of light for one year. ![]() WHAT ARE LIGHT-YEARS FOR?Īstronomers utilize light-years to measure far more enormous distances or what you commonly know as astronomical distances. As a result, astronomical units are an excellent technique for reducing vast astronomical numbers towards a more reasonable scale. However, if you measure it using astronomical units, the 886,000,000-mile or the 1,400,000,000-kilometer distance from the Sun towards the orbit of Saturn is far more feasible since it’s only stated as 9.5 AU. When you measure the distance between the Sun and Earth’s orbit, you will get approximately 150 million kilometers, and when expressed in miles, it is 93 million. Knowing how many times and how fast planets orbit the Sun becomes easy because of these astronomical units. They simplify evaluating the lengths and distances between different celestial objects. Except it isn’t instant it’s simply ridiculously fast.Īstronomical units (AU) are a significant unit of measurement for measuring distance in our solar system. You don’t usually consider light moving elsewhere since the light appears when we turn on your switch! You wouldn’t even feel the need to wait for the lights to turn on. All light moves at the same rate, around 670 million miles per hour, throughout the entire universe. Why is the measurement of the cosmic distances done this way? First and foremost, light is crucial. ![]() WHY DO ASTRONOMERS MEASURE COSMIC DISTANCES THIS WAY? ![]() As a result, for celestial dimensions, scientists use whole different units of measurement - light-years, astronomical units, and parsecs. Lengths between the planets in our solar system, and particularly between stars, can become unmanageable when represented in our standard units of measure such as miles and kilometers. The universe outside Earth is so enormous that units of measurement that people use in their daily lives can become massive. A light-year is typically greater and more extensive than a mile or kilometer. It is known as the distance traveled by a beam of light for one year - a distance of six trillion miles. Astronomers use light-years to measure or calculate the distance in space. ![]()
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