How Long Would It Take To Travel A Light Year (And Why)?

Exact Time: About 37,200 human years

The theory of relativity by Albert Einstein came up with the concept of relativity in brief. The speed of light is unchangeable and constant. According to the theory, everything present on the earth is relative, but not the speed of light. The speed of light is constant and couldn’t be affected by anything.

The time is not always the same for every other person (observer). Space and time have their own characteristics and are different for people. Time and space are not uniform and keeps on changing. Einstein stated that the independence of space and time is no longer fixed. You can say space and time are completely dependent.

How Long Would It Take To Travel A Light Year

How Long Would It Take To Travel A Light Year?

Components Required To Calculate The Time Coverage The Expected Value
Speed of the light 186,282 miles
Distance traveled in one second5 miles
The actual human years required37,200 human years

The time required to travel a light-year is about 37,200 human years. Humans have many misconceptions about how time flows. Many humans think time flow like water, and some are still not sure about how long it would take to travel a light year. Time has its own direction and follows the path to flow. Time is always moving forward without any turning or pause.

There will be a point when space and time will go through conversion. Space will convert into time to maintain the constant nature of light and speed for the observers. The motion of the observer is vital to scrutinize and measure the light and speed. The viewer’s perceptions and perspectives are pivotal to determine the actual intensity of speed and light.

Let’s consider a human traveling equal to the speed of light. For the observer, the human size would be extremely less as compared to the original size. For the human traveling, the size of himself would be the same. If the human starts going faster, then automatically, the time would go slower. The speed at which one will go depends on the mass of the person.

To find out how long would it take to travel a light year, it’s important to find out the speed of the light traveling in the year.
To find out the exact time required for calculating the time required to travel a light year the measurement of cosmic distance is vital. The number of seconds in a year is 31,500,000 seconds approximately.

Now, after multiplying the number of seconds with the distance traveled by the light (in each second), then the product will be 5.9 trillion miles. This is the distance traveled by the light in one year (5.9 trillion miles). In the case of humans, the time required will be more, as compared to the normal time required for a year.

Why It Takes This Long To Travel A Light Year?

The time coverage required depends on many factors, such as speed and distance. The time coverage wouldn’t be the same for everyone. To reach mars, the time coverage is about six months. For humans, it may take from six months to one year. If you were a space shuttle (considerably) and the speed of the light is 186,282 miles.

Let’s say the shuttle (space shuttle) takes one second to reach five miles. After calculations, the time would be 37,200 humans a year to reach a single light year. The calculation may vary from person to person, as not everyone has the same speed.

Conclusion

The time required for traveling a light-year fe[ends on many components such as speed, distance, and mass. It is not easy to say how many years are required in exact numbers. You can find out the approximate value of each component, as the exact value is different for every folk. The time required for a light-year is quite long, as compared to humans.

Speed plays a very important role in influencing the time required for traveling a light year.

References

  1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0886335014015454
  2. https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.74.127305

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