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Light-Year Travel

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  • 2 years - traveling at the speed of light (not taking into account pit-stops for coffee).
  • Of course it depends on how fast the object is traveling. In one of the NASA Space Shuttles, about 76,526 earth years(38,263 earth years one way). 1 light-year is 5.8 trillion miles and the maximum speed of a NASA Space Shuttle is 17,500 miles per hour.

    The fastest unmanned space craft traveled 157,000 mph. At that rate, there and back would take only 8,500 earth years. So if you were a Mesopotamian farmer in 6,500 BC, you'd be getting home right about now.

  • Not only would this depend on the speed you are traveling, but it also depends on your point of view: If you were to be inside a spacecraft traveling at the speed of light, it would take you 2 years, but it would seem as if no time at all had elapsed!
  • At our current level of technology, and allowing for no fundamental breakthroughs in physics but allowing for reasonable engineering development along known lines, the fastest spacecraft that we are currently capable of building would be an Orion Nuclear Pulse Rocket. Wikipedia has a good general description at the link below, but the basic concept is that we build a REALLY BIG spacecraft - perhaps twice the mass of a current US Navy aircraft carrier - and set off nuclear bombs behind a gigantic bowl and shock absorber. Such a device ought to be able to attain about 10% of the speed of light, but it would take about 2 years to reach that speed, and two years to slow down and stop. We would NEVER send out such a ship one light-year out and come back; we'd keep going to a potentially habitable star, but IF we needed to, we could probably do it in about 100 years.
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How long does it take for light years to travel around the earth once?

One light-year is the distance light travels in one year, which is about 5.88 trillion miles. Light doesn't orbit the Earth, but if you're asking how long it takes light to travel around the Earth's circumference once, at the speed of light (about 186,282 miles per second), it would take only about 0.13 seconds.


How many light years does it take to travel two and half earth years?

One light year is the distance that light travels in one year, which is approximately 5.88 trillion miles. Therefore, to travel a distance equivalent to 2.5 Earth years, you would need to travel about 2.5 light years, which is roughly 14.7 trillion miles.


How long does it take light to travel from earth to Neptune?

Neptune has an average distance from the Sun of 2.8 billion miles and the earth is 0.09 billion miles from the sun so it is 2.71 billion miles from the earth. Light travels at 186,000 miles per second. So 2.71 x 109 divided by 186,000 = 14570 seconds = 4.05 hours = 4.62 x 10-4 years.


How fast does light travel to Jupiter?

Light travels at a speed of about 186,282 miles per second. The time it takes for light to travel to Jupiter depends on the distance between Earth and Jupiter, which varies as they orbit the sun. On average, light takes about 33 minutes to travel from Earth to Jupiter when they are at their closest approach.


For the moon to travel at the speed of light how long would it take to orbit the earth?

It takes about 1.28 seconds for light to travel from the moon to Earth. So if the moon were to travel at the speed of light, it would complete an orbit around the Earth in approximately 1.28 seconds.

Related Questions

How long would it take light to traver around the world?

Light travels at approximately 186,282 miles per second. The circumference of the Earth is about 24,901 miles. Therefore, it would take light approximately 0.133 seconds to travel all the way around the Earth.


How long does it take for light years to travel around the earth once?

One light-year is the distance light travels in one year, which is about 5.88 trillion miles. Light doesn't orbit the Earth, but if you're asking how long it takes light to travel around the Earth's circumference once, at the speed of light (about 186,282 miles per second), it would take only about 0.13 seconds.


How long would it take to get to the sun if you could travel at the speed of light?

Sunlight takes 8.4 minutes to travel 93 million miles to Earth. It would take us that long to reach the Sun at light speed.


What is meant by 10 000 light years away?

A light year - is the distance a pulse of light would travel in an earth 'year'. This equates to a distance of5,869,713,600,000 mile in a single year. Something 10,000 light years from earth would be at a distance of58,697,136,000,000,000 miles - or roughly 58,697 BILLION miles away!


How many light years does it take to travel two and half earth years?

One light year is the distance that light travels in one year, which is approximately 5.88 trillion miles. Therefore, to travel a distance equivalent to 2.5 Earth years, you would need to travel about 2.5 light years, which is roughly 14.7 trillion miles.


How many seconds would it take to travel to the sun if you traveled at the speed of light when the radius of the earth is 6371 km equals 3960 mi?

The distance from the Earth to the Sun is approximately 93 million miles (about 150 million kilometers). At the speed of light, it would take light 500 seconds to travel this distance. This is because light travels at a speed of about 186,282 miles per second or 299,792 kilometers per second.


How long would it take to travel at the speed of light from Earth to Aldebaran?

It would take approximately 65 years to travel at the speed of light from Earth to Aldebaran, which is about 65 light-years away. However, currently, we do not have the technology to travel at the speed of light.


How long does it take light to travel from earth to Neptune?

Neptune has an average distance from the Sun of 2.8 billion miles and the earth is 0.09 billion miles from the sun so it is 2.71 billion miles from the earth. Light travels at 186,000 miles per second. So 2.71 x 109 divided by 186,000 = 14570 seconds = 4.05 hours = 4.62 x 10-4 years.


How far would light travel in 20 seconds?

Light travels approximately 186,282 miles per second. So, in 20 seconds, light would travel around 3,725,640 miles.


What is the distance from the pollux star to the planet earth?

Pollux is about 34 light years from the Earth, or about 2 x 1014 miles.


How fast does light travel to Jupiter?

Light travels at a speed of about 186,282 miles per second. The time it takes for light to travel to Jupiter depends on the distance between Earth and Jupiter, which varies as they orbit the sun. On average, light takes about 33 minutes to travel from Earth to Jupiter when they are at their closest approach.


For the moon to travel at the speed of light how long would it take to orbit the earth?

It takes about 1.28 seconds for light to travel from the moon to Earth. So if the moon were to travel at the speed of light, it would complete an orbit around the Earth in approximately 1.28 seconds.