A light year is a measure of distance. It is the distance light travels in one year at the rate of 186,000 miles per second. The following is how light travels in one year:
1 year X 365.25 days X 24 hours X 60 minutes X 60 seconds X 186,000 miles = 5,869,713,600,000 miles
1 1 year 1 day 1 hour 1 minute 1 second
Calculate the distance in miles to the nearest star, Alpha Centauri, is to earth if it is 4.3 light years away.
The Big Dipper:
Each star of the big dipper is a different distance from earth. The star closest to the earth, Megrez (last star of the cup), is 63 light-years away. Calculate the distance in miles.
The star farthest away in the big dipper from the earth is Alkaid (the last star of the handle) is 210 light-years away. Calculate the distance in miles from the earth.
Pluto
is the last planet in our solar system and the farthest away from earth; some 3,473,000,000 miles away. Calculate the number of light-years away from the earth. Is it farther away from earth than the nearest star?
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