Comments on: How far is a light-year?

By: conveyancing

conveyancing — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:44:00 +0000

It certainy is. It makes me wonder if 1 light year is so far, what is the furtherest distance we can travel with our current capabilities and whether the experiments they are conducting with the hyron collider will lead to some technology that will enable us to travel at speed near the the speed of light?

By: Gavin Hilgraine

Gavin Hilgraine — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:30:14 +0000

I was watching the series of the Stargazing series on BB2 and was wondering what the actual distance of a iight year was in mies……..wow! And there were discussing stars that we millions of light years away. It really does put into some form of perspective the vast area that we call space.

By: Imagine Two Suns In The Sky! « From This Litter Box

Imagine Two Suns In The Sky! « From This Litter Box — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 01:11:48 +0000

[...] http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/how-far-is-a-light-year [...]

By: Dellitt Wilson

Dellitt Wilson — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:44:49 +0000

Seems to me that determining if we can send a space ship to the nearest star is jumping the gun a bit. If we know that light travels faster than anything else, it seems we should be sending light to neighboring stars. Are there any projects to send the equivalent of what is contained on the Voyager spacecraft via light?

the next step beyond sending light would be to send the next fastest traveling ‘thing’. I don’t know what that is, but I know that astronomers study x-rays, radio waves, I’m sure they study how sound travels through space as well? does it? Anyway. Seems we could send these things through space faster than a ship.

As for moving matter at or close to the speed of light, is the theory that beyond a certain velocity matter becomes pure energy? What is the limit, then, so far as we know, of how fast the smallest unit of matter can travel? Is that an electron? Anyway, seems we need to first move a grain of sand at maximum velocity before we can send a rocket.

And the reason I came to this site in the first place. Now that I can somewhat imagine the distance a light year is, how long would it take current spacecraft to travel a light year (not factoring in all the variables, obviously, like gravitational pull, etc)?

By: Dellitt Wilson

Dellitt Wilson — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:25:07 +0000

some people might argue either that god was the big bang. I don’t mean some bearded man, obviously, just the idea that the big bang had intention and therefore power. And I say some people might argue this, not necessarily meaning I am convinced one way or the other.

By: Cailic

Cailic — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 02:16:20 +0000

From what I have read, the 5.8 trillion miles is correct. I haven’t done the math myself…I suck at math… but shouldn’t this have been set down as a standard somewhere? Oh, and I don’t realy suck at math, I’m just too lazy to do it. And I wonder, how many spoons are in a light year… Hmmm.
Either way, regardless of how many spoons are in a light year, I was reading several years ago that it would take us 40 years (not light years) to reach Alpha Cenntauri. The article was saying we would incorporate either solor powered engines or antimatter. I didn’t know we had antimatter engines yet. But the article sugested we would embark on this venture within the next few years… which have past.
Oh, and since I am actually responding to this, I will ask this question… not expecting a response to a year old posting… In the matter of propultion, or rather travel itself, given the theory of realitivity, (I realy cann’t see what I’m typing anymore, so forgive the spelling) The only practicle way to travel between the stars would to devise a plainer jump drive. It has been discribed as hyper space in some sy fi shows and described in spirituality as either the ether or astral plane. I don’t know if the Philidelphia experiment was real or fictional.. I have been told both. But it FEELS right that electromagnetic forces would be the key to instantanious travel to any location.
I’m not a scientist by any means, I have simply observed and tried to piece things together…. so don’t laugh… at least not hard. I have heard some intersting accounts of space/time travel. A two hour trip only took thirty minutes, and some other ones I have forgotten the details to. I do remember that green fog was mentioned in each account. And if I remember correctly… was there a greenish fog associated with the philadelphia experment?
Dang it! I know I spelled alot wrong, but I cann’t see. My reading glasses only work at a short distance. I wonder if there is an astrological reason that cataracts kick in at the age of 40?… those damned planets and stars. I know they are to blame.

By: Don Callen

Don Callen — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 19:18:18 +0000

The distance to other worlds…………don’t think we are going to make the trip any time soon.

How far in earth days from the earth to the two new planets that appear to support life as we know it?

By: Feeling a little small - PCMech Forums

Feeling a little small - PCMech Forums — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 02:43:32 +0000

[...] Feeling a little small The new star they found is 950 light years away so I began calculating and not enough zeroes on any calculator. To think I could circle the earth 7.5 times in a second makes me feel … sheesh. How far is a light-year? | Astronomy Essentials | EarthSky [...]

By: Earth-like Planet 600 Light-Years Away | Global Light Minds

Earth-like Planet 600 Light-Years Away | Global Light Minds — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:13:27 +0000

[...] How far is a light year? [...]

By: The Great Nebula in the Constellation Orion | Global Light Minds

The Great Nebula in the Constellation Orion | Global Light Minds — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 09:15:48 +0000

[...] It’s part of a vast stellar “nursery,” where new stars are being born, and is nearly 1,500 light-years away. Through a telescope, you can see four bright stars within the nebula, called the [...]