Light Year to Sajene Conversion Calculator: Free Online Tool
Convert light years to sajenes with our free online length converter.
Light Year to Sajene Calculator
How to Use the Calculator:
- Enter the value you want to convert in the 'From' field (Light Year).
- The converted value in Sajene 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 Sajene
Converting Light Year to Sajene involves multiplying the value by a specific conversion factor, as shown in the formula below.
Formula:
1 Light Year = 4.4343e+15 sajenesExample Calculation:
Convert 10 light years: 10 × 4.4343e+15 = 4.4343e+16 sajenes
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 Sajene?
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 Sajene (Russian: сажень or саже́нь, IPA: [ˈsaʐɨnʲ] or [sɐˈʐɛnʲ]) is an historical Russian unit of length. It was a fundamental unit in the traditional Russian system of measures.
The standard or "state" Sajene (kazyonnaya sazhen) was legally defined as:
- 3 Arshins (another Russian unit)
- 7 English Feet (after Peter the Great's reforms aligned some Russian units with English standards)
- 84 English Inches
This equates to:
- Exactly 2.1336 meters (m)
- Exactly 7 feet (ft)
- Exactly 84 inches (in)
The Sajene was subdivided as follows:
- 1 Sajene = 3 Arshins
- 1 Arshin = 16 Vershoks (meaning 1 Sajene = 48 Vershoks)
Note: The Light Year is part of the imperial/US customary system, primarily used in the US, UK, and Canada for everyday measurements. The Sajene belongs to the imperial/US customary system.
History of the Light Year and Sajene
The concept was first used by Friedrich Bessel in 1838 when measuring the distance to the star 61 Cygni.
The Sajene was used in Russia for centuries, likely originating from an anthropomorphic measurement related to the span of outstretched arms or a person's reach, similar to the fathom in other systems. The name itself may derive from Slavic roots related to reaching or stretching.
While informal variations existed, the unit was standardized over time, notably under Peter the Great (reigned 1682–1725), who aligned the Arshin with 28 English inches, thereby fixing the standard Sajene at exactly 7 English feet (2.1336 m).
The Sajene remained a primary unit for larger measurements in Russia until the metric system was adopted following the Russian Revolution. The metric system became compulsory in the USSR on January 1, 1925, rendering the Sajene and other traditional units obsolete for official use.
Common Uses for light years and sajenes
Explore the typical applications for both Light Year (imperial/US) and Sajene (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 sajenes
The Sajene is now obsolete but was historically essential in various fields in Russia:
- Land Surveying: Measuring land plots, distances, and property boundaries.
- Architecture and Construction: Specifying dimensions of buildings, structures, and materials like timber.
- Shipbuilding: Measuring lengths related to ship design and construction.
- Rope Making: Measuring lengths of rope.
- Cartography: Used in mapmaking and geographical measurements.
- Folk Measurement: Appeared in everyday language and descriptions of distance or height.
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 Sajene (sajene)
How long is a Sajene?
The standard Russian Sajene (kazyonnaya sazhen) is exactly:
- 2.1336 meters
- 7 English feet
- 84 English inches
- 3 Arshins
What were the subdivisions of the Sajene?
The Sajene was divided into smaller traditional Russian units:
- 1 Sajene = 3 Arshins
- 1 Arshin = 16 Vershoks
- Therefore, 1 Sajene = 48 Vershoks.
Were there different types of Sajene?
Yes, besides the standard "state" Sajene (7 feet), two other common variations based on body measurements existed historically, though their lengths were less standardized:
- Makhovaya Sajene (Маховая сажень - "swinging" or "sweeping" Sajene): The distance between the fingertips of a person's outstretched arms, roughly equivalent to a fathom (approx. 1.76 meters or 5.77 feet).
- Kosaya Sajene (Косая сажень - "oblique" Sajene): The distance from the toes of one foot to the fingertips of the opposite arm raised diagonally upwards (approx. 2.48 meters or 8.14 feet). This was often used idiomatically to describe someone tall and broad-shouldered.
The kazyonnaya sazhen (7 feet) was the official standard used for legal and technical purposes.
How does the Sajene compare to a Meter or Fathom?
- 1 Sajene = 2.1336 meters
- 1 Meter ≈ 0.4687 Sajenes
- The standard Sajene (2.1336 m / 7 ft) is slightly longer than the standard English fathom (1.8288 m / 6 ft). The Makhovaya Sajene (~1.76 m) was closer in concept and length to the fathom.
Is the Sajene an SI unit?
No, the Sajene is not an SI unit. It is a traditional unit from the historical Russian system of measurement. The SI base unit for length is the meter (m).
Is the Sajene still used today?
No, the Sajene is obsolete and not used in modern measurements in Russia or elsewhere. It was officially replaced by the metric system in 1925. Its significance today is purely historical, found in old texts, documents, literature, and descriptions of historical sites or objects.
Conversion Table: Light Year to Sajene
| Light Year (ly) | Sajene (sajene) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 4,434,289,463,817,023 |
| 5 | 22,171,447,319,085,116 |
| 10 | 44,342,894,638,170,230 |
| 25 | 110,857,236,595,425,570 |
| 50 | 221,714,473,190,851,140 |
| 100 | 443,428,946,381,702,300 |
| 500 | 2,217,144,731,908,511,500 |
| 1,000 | 4,434,289,463,817,023,000 |
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)
- Mil/Thou (mil)
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- Furlong (fur)
- Link (Gunter's) (li)
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- 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)
- 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)