What Is the Distance of One Light Year?
A light year is commonly thought to be a measurement of time, but contrary to popular belief, it is actually used by astronomers to measure very large distances in space. Kilometers and miles, while used frequently to measure distances on Earth, are too small to use for distances in space. The universe is enormous, and to measure the distance between planets and other astronomical distances, a light year is the most convenient choice. A light,year is simply the distance that light can travel over the course of one year. Simple calculations can be done to find the distance in one light year.
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The Speed of Light
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Knowing the speed of light is the most important concept in figuring out the distance of a light year. Since a light year is the distance that light travels over the course of one year, it is important to know the speed of light for this calculation. Scientists have discovered that the speed of light is 186,282 miles per second. You must first find the distance of the speed of light in minutes and days before calculating the speed of a light year.
The Speed of Light in Minutes
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To find out the speed of light in one year, you first need to convert the speed of light per second to the speed of light per hour. If the speed of light is 186,282 miles per second, and there are 60 seconds in a minute, you will multiply 186,282 by 60 to get the speed of light per minute.
186,282 X 60 = 11,176,920
The speed of light per minute is 11,176,920. That is, light travels at a speed of 11,176,920 miles every minute.
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The Speed of Light in Hours
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Knowing the speed of light in minutes is essential in finding out the distance of the speed of light in days. Since 11,176,920 is the speed of light per minute, and there are 60 minutes in an hour, to find out the speed of light per hour, multiply 11,176,920 by 60 to get the speed of light per hour.
11,176,920 X 60 = 670,615,200
The speed of light per hour is 670,615,200. Light travels this distance in miles every hour.
The Speed of Light in Days
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There are 24 hours in one day, so to find out the speed of light in one whole day, you will multiply the speed of light per hour by 24.
11,176,920 X 24 = 16,094,764,800
Light travels at a rate of 16,094,764,800 miles per day.
The Speed of Light in Years - The Light Year
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The light year is calculated by multiplying the speed of light per day (16,094,764,800) by the amount of days in one year (365).
16,094,764,800 X 365 = 5,878,786,100,000
One light year is approximately 5.88 trillion miles. This unit of measurement is a standard when measuring distances in space, just as miles and kilometers are used for distances on earth. So, if two planets are three lightyears apart, they'd be approximately 17 trillion miles away from each other. Instead of saying 17 trillion miles, astronomers would say that the planers three light years apart.
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References
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