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You are here: Home / Universe / How Do We Measure the Distance Between Stars?

How Do We Measure the Distance Between Stars?

March 16, 2020 by Karen Hill

The distances that astronomers deal with when they measure the distance between stars, or between stars and planets, are so great that there would be almost no room on this page to express that distance in miles. Astronomers therefore measure those distances in units called light-years.

A light-year is the distance light travels during one year. Since light travels at the speed of 186,282 miles per second (or 11,176,920 miles per minute), one light-year equals 5.88 million million miles. Written out, it looks like this, 5,880,000,000,000 miles.

Aside from the sun, the nearest star to earth is Alpha Centauri. It is 25 million million miles from earth, or 4.3 light-years away. That means, if life existed on that star and we sent them a message, it would take 8.5 years for that message to get there and be answered.

Some stars in the Milky Way are 80,000 light-years from earth!

Related Facts

  • How Are Stars Born, How Are New Stars Formed From Clouds of Dust and Gases, and How Do We Detect New Stars?
  • How Do Astronomers Measure Really Big Distances and Why Were Astronomical Units Invented To Express Distance?
  • How Can You Measure Distance By Degrees Just By Looking At the Sky?
  • How Can We Use Trigonometry To Measure the Distance Of a Star From Earth and How Long Does It Take?
  • What Are the Differences Between Planets and Stars and How Are Stars and Planets Similar?
  • How Do Meteorologists Measure Snowfall and What Do Meteorologists Use To Measure Rainfall?

Filed Under: Universe

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « What Is the Difference Between a Star and a Planet?
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