Convert light year to parsec Online | Free Length Converter

Light Year

A light year is a unit of distance used in astronomy to measure how far light travels in one year. Light moves extremely fast—about 299,792 kilometers per second—so in one year, it travels roughly 9.46 trillion kilometers (or about 5.88 trillion miles). Light years help scientists express the huge distances between stars and galaxies. For example, the nearest star to Earth, Proxima Centauri, is about 4.24 light years away. The term “light year” can be confusing because it sounds like a measure of time, but it actually measures distance.

Parsec

A parsec (pc) is a unit of distance used in astronomy, equal to about 3.26 light-years or roughly 31 trillion kilometers. The name “parsec” comes from “parallax of one arcsecond,” referring to the method astronomers use to measure distances to nearby stars based on their apparent shift when viewed from different positions in Earth’s orbit. Parsecs are commonly used to measure distances to stars and galaxies. For example, the nearest star system, Alpha Centauri, is about 1.3 parsecs away. The symbol for parsec is "pc". It’s a convenient unit for expressing large astronomical distances beyond the reach of light-years.