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  1. Light-year - Wikipedia

    A light-year, alternatively spelled light year (ly or lyr[3]), is a unit of length used to express astronomical distances and is equal to exactly 9 460 730 472 580.8 km, which is approximately 9.46 trillion …

  2. What Is a Light-Year? | NASA Space Place – NASA Science for Kids

    Apr 13, 2026 · A light-year is the distance light travels in one Earth year. Learn about how we use light-years to measure the distance of objects in space.

  3. Light-year | Distance, Measurement, Time | Britannica

    Light-year, in astronomy, the distance traveled by light moving in a vacuum in the course of one year, at its accepted velocity of 299,792,458 metres per second (186,282 miles per second).

  4. What Is a Light Year? Definition and Examples

    May 28, 2020 · The light year or light-year (ly) is a unit of length that is the distance light travels in a vacuum in one Earth year. One light year is exactly 9460730472580.8 km (approximately 9.46

  5. How far is a light-year? Plus, distances in space - EarthSky

    Jan 1, 2026 · Light is the fastest-moving stuff in our universe. It travels at 186,000 miles per second (300,000 km/sec). So, a light-year is 5.88 trillion miles (9.46 trillion km). However, stars and nebulae...

  6. How Many Years in a Light Year? Time vs. Distance - CityAstronomy

    Dec 16, 2024 · A light year is a measure of distance equivalent to how far light travels in one single Earth year. It’s a fundamental unit for expressing astronomical distances, crucial for space …

  7. How long is a light-year in Earth years? - The Institute for ...

    Oct 31, 2025 · Therefore, how long is a light-year in Earth years? is a misleading question; instead, a light-year represents the distance light travels in one Earth year: approximately 5.88 trillion miles …

  8. Astronomy & Astrophysics 101: What Is a Light-Year?

    Dec 15, 2024 · A light-year is the distance light travels in one year. Light moves incredibly fast — about 186,000 miles (300,000 kilometers) per second, covering 5.88 trillion miles (9.46 trillion kilometers) …

  9. What is a light-year? | Space

    Dec 22, 2021 · A light-year is the distance a beam of light travels in a single Earth year, which equates to approximately 6 trillion miles (9.7 trillion kilometers).

  10. Light-year: All you need to know - Space & Telescope

    Dec 25, 2023 · A light-year is the distance light travels in one year in space, and it is equal to 365*24*60*60*300,000 kilometers or 9.46 trillion kilometers or 5.88 trillion miles.