Roman Mile to Light Year Conversion Calculator: Free Online Tool

Convert Roman miles to light years with our free online length converter.

Roman Mile to Light Year Calculator

Roman Mile
Light Year

How to Use the Calculator:

  1. Enter the value you want to convert in the 'From' field (Roman Mile).
  2. The converted value in Light Year will appear automatically in the 'To' field.
  3. Use the dropdown menus to select different units within the Length category.
  4. Click the swap button (⇌) to reverse the conversion direction.

How to Convert Roman Mile to Light Year

Converting Roman Mile to Light Year involves multiplying the value by a specific conversion factor, as shown in the formula below.

Formula:

1 Roman Mile = 1.5643e-13 light years

Example Calculation:

Convert 10 Roman miles: 10 × 1.5643e-13 = 1.5643e-12 light years

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 Roman Mile and a Light Year?

The Roman Mile (mille passus, meaning "thousand paces"; symbol m.p.) was the standard Roman unit for measuring longer distances.

It was defined as 1,000 Roman paces (passus).

Since one passus (a double step) was equal to 5 Roman feet (pes), the Roman mile was equivalent to:

  • 1,000 paces (passus)
  • 5,000 Roman feet (pedes)

The exact length varied slightly depending on the precise definition of the Roman foot used, but it is typically estimated as:

  • Approximately 1,480 meters (m)
  • Approximately 1.48 kilometers (km)
  • Approximately 0.919 statute miles (mi)
  • Approximately 4,856 feet (ft) (using a common estimate for the Roman foot)

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).

Note: The Roman Mile is part of the imperial/US customary system, primarily used in the US, UK, and Canada for everyday measurements. The Light Year belongs to the imperial/US customary system.

History of the Roman Mile and Light Year

The Roman mile was established during the Roman Republic and Empire and was used extensively throughout Roman territories for measuring roads, distances between cities, and military movements. Roman roads were famously marked with milestones (miliarium) indicating the distance in Roman miles, often back to the Milliarium Aureum (Golden Milestone) in the Forum Romanum.

The Roman mile significantly influenced the development of the mile unit in other countries, including the English statute mile, although the lengths eventually diverged.

The concept was first used by Friedrich Bessel in 1838 when measuring the distance to the star 61 Cygni.

Common Uses for Roman miles and light years

Explore the typical applications for both Roman Mile (imperial/US) and Light Year (imperial/US) to understand their common contexts.

Common Uses for Roman miles

  • Historical Measurement: Used ubiquitously in the Roman Empire for all land distances.
  • Historical Texts: Essential for understanding distances mentioned in Roman literature, historical accounts, and geographical works.
  • Archaeology: Used to interpret Roman road networks, milestone placements, and site layouts.

Common Uses for light years

  • Measuring distances to stars and galaxies
  • Expressing the vast scale of the universe in astronomy

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions About Roman Mile (m.p.)

How long was a Roman Mile compared to a modern mile?

A Roman mile (approx. 1480 m) was shorter than the modern international statute mile (1609.344 m). A Roman mile is about 92% the length of a modern statute mile.

What does 'mille passus' mean?

It's Latin for "a thousand paces". Mille means thousand, and passus refers to the Roman pace (a double step of 5 Roman feet).

How many feet were in a Roman Mile?

There were 5,000 Roman feet (pedes) in one Roman mile.

Is the Roman Mile still used?

No, the Roman mile is obsolete and not used for any modern measurements. It is purely a historical unit. Modern distances are measured in kilometers or statute miles.

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.

Conversion Table: Roman Mile to Light Year

Roman Mile (m.p.)Light Year (ly)
10
50
100
250
500
1000
5000
1,0000

All Length Conversions

Meter to KilometerMeter to HectometerMeter to DecimeterMeter to CentimeterMeter to MillimeterMeter to InchMeter to FootMeter to YardMeter to MileMeter to Nautical MileMeter to MicrometerMeter to NanometerMeter to Light YearMeter to Astronomical UnitMeter to ParsecMeter to AngstromMeter to Point (Typography)Meter to Mil/ThouMeter to FathomMeter to FurlongMeter to Link (Gunter's)Meter to PaceMeter to SpanMeter to DigitMeter to Cable LengthMeter to EllMeter to FingerMeter to Roman MileMeter to StadionMeter to Chi (Chinese)Meter to Shaku (Japanese)Meter to Li (Chinese)Meter to ToiseMeter to BoltMeter to RopeMeter to SmootMeter to SajeneMeter to KenMeter to WaMeter to VaraMeter to AlnMeter to Cubit (Royal/Egyptian)Meter to VerstaMeter to ArpentMeter to Ri (Japanese)Meter to KlafterMeter to YojanaMeter to SkeinKilometer to MeterKilometer to HectometerKilometer to DecimeterKilometer to CentimeterKilometer to MillimeterKilometer to InchKilometer to FootKilometer to YardKilometer to MileKilometer to Nautical MileKilometer to MicrometerKilometer to NanometerKilometer to Light YearKilometer to Astronomical UnitKilometer to ParsecKilometer to AngstromKilometer to Point (Typography)Kilometer to Mil/ThouKilometer to FathomKilometer to FurlongKilometer to Link (Gunter's)Kilometer to PaceKilometer to SpanKilometer to DigitKilometer to Cable LengthKilometer to EllKilometer to FingerKilometer to Roman MileKilometer to StadionKilometer to Chi (Chinese)Kilometer to Shaku (Japanese)Kilometer to Li (Chinese)Kilometer to ToiseKilometer to BoltKilometer to RopeKilometer to SmootKilometer to SajeneKilometer to KenKilometer to WaKilometer to VaraKilometer to AlnKilometer to Cubit (Royal/Egyptian)Kilometer to VerstaKilometer to ArpentKilometer to Ri (Japanese)Kilometer to KlafterKilometer to YojanaKilometer to SkeinHectometer to MeterHectometer to KilometerHectometer to DecimeterHectometer to CentimeterHectometer to MillimeterHectometer to InchHectometer to FootHectometer to YardHectometer to MileHectometer to Nautical MileHectometer to MicrometerHectometer to NanometerHectometer to Light YearHectometer to Astronomical UnitHectometer to ParsecHectometer to AngstromHectometer to Point (Typography)Hectometer to Mil/ThouHectometer to FathomHectometer to FurlongHectometer to Link (Gunter's)Hectometer to PaceHectometer to SpanHectometer to Digit