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Light-year (ly)

The distance light travels in one Julian year.

Result9.460730473 × 10¹⁸

1 light-year = 9.460730473 × 10¹⁸ millimeters

Light-year at a glance

Unit nameLight-year (plural: light-years)
Symbolly
Quantity measuredLength
Measurement systemOther
Also known aslightyear, light year, ly
Definition exact?Yes — exact by definition

1 light-year in other length units

Unit1 ly equals
Nanometer9.46073047 × 10²⁴ nm
Micrometer9.46073047 × 10²¹ µm
Millimeter9.46073047 × 10¹⁸ mm
Centimeter9.46073047 × 10¹⁷ cm
Decimeter9.46073047 × 10¹⁶ dm
Meter9.46073047 × 10¹⁵ m
Kilometer9,460,730,472,581 km
Inch3.72469704 × 10¹⁷ in
Foot3.1039142 × 10¹⁶ ft
Yard1.03463807 × 10¹⁶ yd
Mile5,878,625,373,184 mi
Nautical mile5,108,385,784,331 nmi
Angstrom9.46073047 × 10²⁵ Å
Mil3.72469704 × 10²⁰ mil
Fathom5.17319033 × 10¹⁵ ftm
Rod1.88116012 × 10¹⁵ rd
Chain470,290,029,854,689 ch
Furlong47,029,002,985,469 fur
League1,959,541,791,061 lea
Astronomical unit63,241.0771 au
Parsec0.306601394 pc

Frequently asked questions

What is a light-year?
The distance light travels in one Julian year.
What is the symbol for the light-year?
The symbol for the light-year is ly. It measures length.
How many millimeters are in a light-year?
1 light-year = 9.46073047 × 10¹⁸ millimeters.
How many centimeters are in a light-year?
1 light-year = 9.46073047 × 10¹⁷ centimeters.
How many meters are in a light-year?
1 light-year = 9.46073047 × 10¹⁵ meters.