2006-07-10 17:56:42 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
So now that I know it measures distance not time. Man are those guys at Nasa trying to confuse or something by calling it a light year. Instead they should just call the distance of Light. that would seem to make alot more sense.
2006-07-10 18:09:09 · update #1
It is not a measurement of time. If it was it would be one year. The light year is a measurement of distance. A light year is how far light can travel in a year. One light year is about 5,874,601,673,407.301 miles or 9,454,254,955,488 kilometers.
2006-07-10 20:18:03 · answer #1 · answered by Eric X 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
One light year equals the distance light will travel in one earth year or about 6-trillion miles. There's nothing mysterious or complex about it---just a simple distance measurement.
2006-07-11 02:46:53 · answer #2 · answered by Chug-a-Lug 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Despite the misleading name, a light year isn't actually a unit of time at all. It's actually a unit of distance. The distance that light travels in a year, to be exact. One light year is equal to approximately 9,460,528,404,879 km or 5,878,482,084,580 miles.
2006-07-11 00:59:50 · answer #3 · answered by EmilyRose 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We measure the distances in space by the Light Year, not the time ofcourse...
2006-07-11 02:27:15 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The distance light can travel in one year is 6 trillion miles. It's easier to say 100 light years that to say 600,000,000,000,000 miles. That's all.
2006-07-13 01:19:28 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
light year is the distance light travels in on year.
earth year is the time taken for the earth to go around the sun.
2006-07-11 05:30:32 · answer #6 · answered by Rajan 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A light year is not a measure of time, it is a measure of distance.
It is the distance light travels in the span of one Earth year.
2006-07-11 01:02:24 · answer #7 · answered by boter_99 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i've copied the def. from this site if you want more click away
1. The distance that light travels in a vacuum in one year, approximately 9.46 trillion (9.46 Ã 1012) kilometers or 5.88 trillion (5.88 Ã 1012) miles.
2. Informal. A long way. Often used in the plural: a small town light-years away from the action of the capital.
http://www.answers.com/light-year&r=67
not exactly around the corner and down the hill
2006-07-11 00:59:52 · answer #8 · answered by G 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a light year is a measure of distance, not time...
2006-07-11 01:01:20 · answer #9 · answered by old timer 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
light year is a measure of distance, not time. the distance a beam of light would travel in a vacuum over the course of one earth year.
186,000 miles / sec * 60 sec/min * 60 min/hour * 24 hr/day *365.25 days/yead
related stupid comment: "I'm the guy who did the kessel run in under 4 parsecs!"
2006-07-11 01:00:01 · answer #10 · answered by samsyn 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋