lightyear
Nine trillion kilometers
A lightyear is the distance light travels in one year—about 5.88 trillion miles or 9.46 trillion kilometers.
It's the standard unit for measuring astronomical distances: The nearest star is about four lightyears away.
Informally, lightyears suggests an enormous gap: Her skills are lightyears ahead of the competition.
Also spelled light-year and light year.
Interstellar length measure
- megaparsecUnit measuring galactic distances
- astronomical unitEarth-to-Sun distance standard
- redshiftWavelength stretch from recession
- blueshiftLight compressed by approach
cosmology · Hubble · luminosity · spectroscopy · telescope · observatory · parallax · magnitude
Gravitationally bound stellar mass
- nebulaInterstellar gas formation
- quasarLuminous active galactic core
- supernovaExploding massive star
- pulsarMagnetized rotating neutron emitter
black hole · universe · cosmos · interstellar · intergalactic · extragalactic · dark matter · dark energy
Fictional interstellar vessel
- spacecraftVehicle for outer space
- warpBend from true form
- hyperdriveFictional superluminal propulsion
- voyageJourney by sea
expedition · interstellar travel · exploration · journey · odyssey · generation ship · Star Trek · Star Wars
Extremely great in size
- immenseExtremely large in scope
- incomprehensibleImpossible to understand
- astronomicalRelating to outer space
- cosmic scaleUniverse-sized frame of reference
unfathomable · enormous · distant · remote · far-flung · quintillion · mind-boggling · inconceivable
parsec
Interstellar length measure
- megaparsecUnit measuring galactic distances
- astronomical unitEarth-to-Sun distance standard
- redshiftWavelength stretch from recession
blueshift · cosmology · Hubble · luminosity · spectroscopy · telescope · observatory · parallax · magnitude · infrared
galaxy
Gravitationally bound stellar mass
pulsar · black hole · universe · cosmos · interstellar · intergalactic · extragalactic · dark matter · dark energy · cosmic ray
starship
Fictional interstellar vessel
- spacecraftVehicle for outer space
- warpBend from true form
- hyperdriveFictional superluminal propulsion
voyage · expedition · interstellar travel · exploration · journey · odyssey · generation ship · Star Trek · Star Wars · science fiction
vast
Extremely great in size
- immenseExtremely large in scope
- incomprehensibleImpossible to understand
- astronomicalRelating to outer space
cosmic scale · unfathomable · enormous · distant · remote · far-flung · quintillion · mind-boggling · inconceivable · beyond reach
lightyearnanometer
Metric unit, billion-fold smaller
angstrom · picometer · femtometer · micrometer · millimeter