Light Year to Centimeter Conversion Calculator: Free Online Tool
Convert light years to centimeters with our free online length converter.
Light Year to Centimeter Calculator
How to Use the Calculator:
- Enter the value you want to convert in the 'From' field (Light Year).
- The converted value in Centimeter will appear automatically in the 'To' field.
- Use the dropdown menus to select different units within the Length category.
- Click the swap button (⇌) to reverse the conversion direction.
How to Convert Light Year to Centimeter
Converting Light Year to Centimeter involves multiplying the value by a specific conversion factor, as shown in the formula below.
Formula:
1 Light Year = 9.4610e+17 centimetersExample Calculation:
Convert 10 light years: 10 × 9.4610e+17 = 9.4610e+18 centimeters
Disclaimer: For Reference Only
These conversion results are provided for informational purposes only. While we strive for accuracy, we make no guarantees regarding the precision of these results, especially for conversions involving extremely large or small numbers which may be subject to the inherent limitations of standard computer floating-point arithmetic.
Not for professional use. Results should be verified before use in any critical application. View our Terms of Service for more information.
What is a Light Year and a Centimeter?
A light-year is a unit of astronomical distance equal to the distance that light travels in one Julian year in a vacuum (approximately 9.461 trillion kilometers or 5.879 trillion miles).
The centimeter is a unit of length in the metric system equal to one-hundredth of a meter (1/100 m). It is commonly used for smaller everyday measurements.
Note: The Light Year is part of the imperial/US customary system, primarily used in the US, UK, and Canada for everyday measurements. The Centimeter belongs to the metric (SI) system.
History of the Light Year and Centimeter
The concept was first used by Friedrich Bessel in 1838 when measuring the distance to the star 61 Cygni.
As part of the original French metric system, the centimeter was defined based on the meter. Its convenience for measuring smaller objects made it a widely adopted subunit.
Common Uses for light years and centimeters
Explore the typical applications for both Light Year (imperial/US) and Centimeter (metric) to understand their common contexts.
Common Uses for light years
- Measuring distances to stars and galaxies
- Expressing the vast scale of the universe in astronomy
Common Uses for centimeters
- Anthropometry: Measuring human height in many metric countries.
- Everyday Objects: Everyday measurements of small objects (e.g., length of a pencil, width of a book).
- Tools: Rulers and measuring tapes often show centimeters.
- Apparel: Clothing sizes and tailoring measurements.
- Design & Crafts: Technical drawings and crafts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions About Light Year (ly)
Is a light-year a unit of time or distance?
A light-year (ly) is a unit of distance, not time. It represents the distance light travels in one year.
How far is a light-year in kilometers and miles?
One light-year is approximately 9.461 trillion kilometers (9.461 x 10^12 km) or 5.879 trillion miles (5.879 x 10^12 mi).
What is the closest star to Earth in light-years?
Excluding the Sun, the closest star system to Earth is Alpha Centauri, which is about 4.37 light-years away.
About Centimeter (cm)
How many centimeters are in a meter?
There are 100 centimeters (cm) in 1 meter (m).
What does 'centi' mean in centimeter?
The prefix 'centi' denotes one-hundredth (1/100).
How many centimeters are in an inch?
There are exactly 2.54 centimeters in 1 inch.
Conversion Table: Light Year to Centimeter
| Light Year (ly) | Centimeter (cm) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 946,100,000,000,000,000 |
| 5 | 4,730,500,000,000,000,000 |
| 10 | 9,461,000,000,000,000,000 |
| 25 | 23,652,500,000,000,000,000 |
| 50 | 47,305,000,000,000,000,000 |
| 100 | 94,610,000,000,000,000,000 |
| 500 | 473,050,000,000,000,000,000 |
| 1,000 | 946,100,000,000,000,000,000 |
All Length Conversions
Other Units from Length
- Meter (m)
- Kilometer (km)
- Hectometer (hm)
- Decimeter (dm)
- Millimeter (mm)
- Inch (in)
- Foot (ft)
- Yard (yd)
- Mile (mi)
- Nautical Mile (NM)
- Micrometer (μm)
- Nanometer (nm)
- Astronomical Unit (AU)
- Parsec (pc)
- Angstrom (Å)
- Point (Typography) (pt)
- Mil/Thou (mil)
- Fathom (fath)
- Furlong (fur)
- Link (Gunter's) (li)
- Pace (pace)
- Span (span)
- Digit (digit)
- Cable Length (cb)
- Ell (ell)
- Finger (finger)
- Roman Mile (m.p.)
- Stadion (stadion)
- Chi (Chinese) (chi)
- Shaku (Japanese) (shaku)
- Li (Chinese) (li)
- Toise (toise)
- Bolt (bolt)
- Rope (rope)
- Smoot (smoot)
- Sajene (sajene)
- Ken (ken)
- Wa (wa)
- Vara (vara)
- Aln (aln)
- Cubit (Royal/Egyptian) (cubit)
- Versta (versta)
- Arpent (arpent)
- Ri (Japanese) (ri)
- Klafter (klafter)
- Yojana (yojana)
- Skein (skein)