Light Year to Mil/Thou Conversion Calculator: Free Online Tool
Convert light years to mils with our free online length converter.
Light Year to Mil/Thou Calculator
How to Use the Calculator:
- Enter the value you want to convert in the 'From' field (Light Year).
- The converted value in Mil/Thou 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 Mil/Thou
Converting Light Year to Mil/Thou involves multiplying the value by a specific conversion factor, as shown in the formula below.
Formula:
1 Light Year = 3.7248e+20 milsExample Calculation:
Convert 10 light years: 10 × 3.7248e+20 = 3.7248e+21 mils
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 Mil/Thou?
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).
A mil (also known as a thou) is a unit of length equal to one thousandth of an inch (0.001 inches or 25.4 micrometers).
Note: The Light Year is part of the imperial/US customary system, primarily used in the US, UK, and Canada for everyday measurements. The Mil/Thou belongs to the imperial/US customary system.
History of the Light Year and Mil/Thou
The concept was first used by Friedrich Bessel in 1838 when measuring the distance to the star 61 Cygni.
The unit originates from precision engineering and manufacturing where small tolerances are critical.
Common Uses for light years and mils
Explore the typical applications for both Light Year (imperial/US) and Mil/Thou (imperial/US) 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 mils
- Measuring thickness of materials (e.g., paper, plastic film, coatings)
- Specifying manufacturing tolerances
- Electronics (e.g., PCB trace widths)
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 Mil/Thou (mil)
Is a mil the same as a millimeter?
No, a mil (0.001 inches) is much smaller than a millimeter (0.001 meters). 1 millimeter is approximately 39.37 mils.
Is 'mil' short for millimeter?
No, 'mil' is short for the Latin 'mille', meaning thousandth (of an inch). It is not an abbreviation for millimeter (mm).
What does 'thou' mean in this context?
'Thou' is another common name for a mil, also meaning one thousandth (of an inch). It is frequently used in engineering and machining.
Conversion Table: Light Year to Mil/Thou
| Light Year (ly) | Mil/Thou (mil) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 372,480,314,960,629,900,000 |
| 5 | 1,862,401,574,803,149,400,000 |
| 10 | 3,724,803,149,606,299,000,000 |
| 25 | 9,312,007,874,015,748,000,000 |
| 50 | 18,624,015,748,031,496,000,000 |
| 100 | 37,248,031,496,062,993,000,000 |
| 500 | 186,240,157,480,314,950,000,000 |
| 1,000 | 372,480,314,960,629,900,000,000 |
All Length Conversions
Other Units from Length
- Meter (m)
- 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)
- 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)