Convert light year to astronomical unit
Please provide values below to convert light year [ly] to astronomical unit [AU, UA], or Convert astronomical unit to light year.
How to Convert Light Year to Astronomical Unit
1 ly = 63241.0770842609 AU, UA
Example: convert 15 ly to AU, UA:
15 ly = 15 × 63241.0770842609 AU, UA = 948616.156263914 AU, UA
Light Year to Astronomical Unit Conversion Table
| light year | astronomical unit |
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Light Year
A light-year is the distance that light travels in a vacuum in one Julian year.
History/Origin
The concept of the light-year as a unit of distance in astronomy emerged in the mid-19th century. The first recorded use of the term was in a German astronomical publication in 1851.
Current Use
The light-year is used to express distances to stars and other astronomical objects on a galactic and intergalactic scale, especially in popular science and non-specialist contexts.
Astronomical Unit
The astronomical unit is a unit of length, now defined as exactly 149,597,870,700 meters. It is approximately the average distance between the Earth and the Sun.
History/Origin
Historically, the astronomical unit was the mean Earth-Sun distance. In 2012, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) redefined it as a fixed constant.
Current Use
The astronomical unit is used primarily for measuring distances within the Solar System or around other stars.