Light-year: Difference between revisions
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A '''light-year''' is a unit of measurement used to measure distance | A '''light-year''' is a unit of measurement used to measure interstellar distance. It is quantified as the distance that light travels in a vacuum over the course of an [[Earth]] year. | ||
While it is a measurement of distance, not time, terms for lengths of multiple years can be used to indicate larger values; for example, ten light years could be called a light-decade, one hundred light years could be called a light-century, and so on. Conversely, shorter periods can be used, such as a light-months, light days, and so on; Earth's distance from [[Sol|its sun]] could be expressed as 8 light-minutes. | |||
{{wikipediainfo}} | {{wikipediainfo}} | ||
[[Category:Real World science]] | [[Category:Real World science]] | ||
Revision as of 06:13, 17 September 2009
A light-year is a unit of measurement used to measure interstellar distance. It is quantified as the distance that light travels in a vacuum over the course of an Earth year.
While it is a measurement of distance, not time, terms for lengths of multiple years can be used to indicate larger values; for example, ten light years could be called a light-decade, one hundred light years could be called a light-century, and so on. Conversely, shorter periods can be used, such as a light-months, light days, and so on; Earth's distance from its sun could be expressed as 8 light-minutes.
