Light Year to Yard Conversion Calculator: Free Online Tool
Convert light years to yards with our free online length converter.
Light Year to Yard Calculator
How to Use the Calculator:
- Enter the value you want to convert in the 'From' field (Light Year).
- The converted value in Yard 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 Yard
Converting Light Year to Yard involves multiplying the value by a specific conversion factor, as shown in the formula below.
Formula:
1 Light Year = 1.0347e+16 yardsExample Calculation:
Convert 10 light years: 10 × 1.0347e+16 = 1.0347e+17 yards
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 Yard?
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 yard is a unit of length in the British imperial and United States customary systems of measurement. It is defined as exactly 3 feet or 36 inches, which equals 0.9144 meters.
Note: The Light Year is part of the imperial/US customary system, primarily used in the US, UK, and Canada for everyday measurements. The Yard belongs to the imperial/US customary system.
History of the Light Year and Yard
The concept was first used by Friedrich Bessel in 1838 when measuring the distance to the star 61 Cygni.
The origin of the yard is uncertain, with historical links possibly related to the length of a stride or the distance from the nose to the fingertip of an outstretched arm (associated with King Henry I of England, though likely apocryphal). It became a standard unit in England for measuring cloth and land, and was later precisely defined relative to the meter.
Common Uses for light years and yards
Explore the typical applications for both Light Year (imperial/US) and Yard (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 yards
- Textiles: Measuring fabric length (often sold by the yard).
- Sports: Dimensions of sports fields (e.g., American football, soccer pitch lengths can be expressed in yards).
- Landscaping: Landscaping and gardening measurements (e.g., yards of mulch).
- Short Distances: Shorter road distances or property dimensions in the US and UK.
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 Yard (yd)
How many feet are in a yard?
There are exactly 3 feet (ft) in 1 yard (yd).
How many inches are in a yard?
There are exactly 36 inches (in) in 1 yard (yd).
Is a yard longer or shorter than a meter?
A yard (0.9144 m) is slightly shorter than a meter (1 m).
Conversion Table: Light Year to Yard
| Light Year (ly) | Yard (yd) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 10,346,675,415,573,054 |
| 5 | 51,733,377,077,865,260 |
| 10 | 103,466,754,155,730,530 |
| 25 | 258,666,885,389,326,340 |
| 50 | 517,333,770,778,652,700 |
| 100 | 1,034,667,541,557,305,300 |
| 500 | 5,173,337,707,786,527,000 |
| 1,000 | 10,346,675,415,573,053,000 |
All Length Conversions
Other Units from Length
- Meter (m)
- Kilometer (km)
- Hectometer (hm)
- Decimeter (dm)
- Centimeter (cm)
- Millimeter (mm)
- Inch (in)
- Foot (ft)
- 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)