Light Year to Meter Conversion Calculator: Free Online Tool
Convert light years to meters with our free online length converter.
Light Year to Meter Calculator
How to Use the Calculator:
- Enter the value you want to convert in the 'From' field (Light Year).
- The converted value in Meter 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 Meter
Converting Light Year to Meter involves multiplying the value by a specific conversion factor, as shown in the formula below.
Formula:
1 Light Year = 9.4610e+15 metersExample Calculation:
Convert 10 light years: 10 × 9.4610e+15 = 9.4610e+16 meters
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 Meter?
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 meter is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). It is defined as the distance traveled by light in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second. It forms the basis for other metric length units.
Note: The Light Year is part of the imperial/US customary system, primarily used in the US, UK, and Canada for everyday measurements. The Meter belongs to the metric (SI) system.
History of the Light Year and Meter
The concept was first used by Friedrich Bessel in 1838 when measuring the distance to the star 61 Cygni.
Originally defined in 1793 by the French Academy of Sciences as one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the North Pole along a meridian. Later definitions involved prototype bars (platinum-iridium) and wavelengths of krypton-86 radiation before the current definition based on the speed of light was adopted in 1983.
Common Uses for light years and meters
Explore the typical applications for both Light Year (imperial/US) and Meter (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 meters
- Dimensions & Construction: Measuring room dimensions, building heights, and land plots.
- Science & Engineering: Standard unit in scientific research (physics, engineering).
- Athletics: Track and field events (e.g., 100-meter dash).
- Textiles: Measuring fabric lengths.
- Everyday Measurements: Everyday height and distance measurements in metric countries.
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 Meter (m)
Is the meter the primary unit of length globally?
Yes, the meter is the base unit for length in the SI system, used by most countries for scientific, industrial, and many everyday purposes.
How was the meter originally defined?
It was first defined based on a fraction of the Earth's meridian distance from the equator to the North Pole.
How is the meter defined today?
It is defined by the distance light travels in a vacuum during a specific fraction of a second (1/299,792,458 s).
Conversion Table: Light Year to Meter
| Light Year (ly) | Meter (m) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 9,461,000,000,000,000 |
| 5 | 47,305,000,000,000,000 |
| 10 | 94,610,000,000,000,000 |
| 25 | 236,525,000,000,000,000 |
| 50 | 473,050,000,000,000,000 |
| 100 | 946,100,000,000,000,000 |
| 500 | 4,730,500,000,000,000,000 |
| 1,000 | 9,461,000,000,000,000,000 |
All Length Conversions
Other Units from Length
- Kilometer (km)
- Hectometer (hm)
- Decimeter (dm)
- Centimeter (cm)
- 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)