ly to Tm
92 unitsConvert Light year to Terameter (ly to Tm)
1 light year = 9460.730473 terameters. Convert light years to terameters instantly, with the exact factor, the formula and a reference table of common values.
ly to Tm conversion table
| ly | Tm |
|---|---|
| 1 ly | 9460.730473 Tm |
| 2 ly | 18921.46095 Tm |
| 3 ly | 28382.19142 Tm |
| 5 ly | 47303.65236 Tm |
| 10 ly | 94607.30473 Tm |
| 20 ly | 189214.6095 Tm |
| 50 ly | 473036.5236 Tm |
| 100 ly | 946073.0473 Tm |
| 250 ly | 2365182.618 Tm |
| 500 ly | 4730365.236 Tm |
| 1000 ly | 9460730.473 Tm |
What is a light year?
A light year is a distance, not a time: it is how far light travels in one year, about 9.46 trillion kilometers. Light covers roughly 300,000 kilometers every second, and a year gives it a very long run.
Astronomers use light years because space is so empty. The nearest star beyond the Sun, Proxima Centauri, is about 4.2 light years away, and our galaxy is roughly 100,000 light years across. Seeing a star ten light years away means seeing light that left it ten years ago.
In writing, the light year is usually shortened to "ly". One light year is 9.460730e+15 meters, and that ratio is what every figure on this page is built from.