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Cosmic Distance Converter
Convert between Light-Years and Kilometers
Light-Years to Kilometers
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Kilometers (km)
Kilometers to Light-Years
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Light-Years (ly)
A Sense of Scale
Enter a value to see how vast it is.
What is a Light-Year?
A light-year is a unit of astronomical distance. It’s the distance that light travels in a vacuum in one year. Since light moves incredibly fast, a light-year is an immense distance.
1 Light-Year ≈ 9.461 trillion Kilometers (9.461 x 1012 km)
Why use Light-Years?
Using kilometers to measure distances between stars or galaxies would result in absurdly large and cumbersome numbers. Light-years provide a more manageable and intuitive unit for the vast scales of the cosmos.
Disclaimer
This calculator uses standardized values and is intended for educational purposes. It should not be used for scientific research or precise astronomical calculations. Always consult official scientific data for such applications.
