Convert Earth's Equatorial Radius to Light Year
Convert earth's equatorial radii to light years instantly. 1 earth's equatorial radius = 6.741696e-10 light year — use the live calculator, the exact formula, a conversion table and worked examples. Also check the Light Year to Earth's Equatorial Radius converter for the reverse conversion.
Units explained
Earth's Equatorial Radius
Earth's equatorial radius is the distance from the planet's center to its surface at the equator, defined as exactly 6,378,137 meters by the WGS84 geodetic reference system.
The WGS84 (World Geodetic System 1984) defines Earth's reference ellipsoid for use in GPS and global cartography. The 6,378,137 m equatorial value was determined through satellite and ground geodetic measurements consolidated in 1984.
WGS84's equatorial radius is the standard reference for GPS, satellite imagery, geographic information systems, and aviation navigation. It defines the 'a' parameter of Earth's reference ellipsoid in coordinate transformations.
WGS84 reference ellipsoid adopted in 1984 by the US Department of Defense; subsequently adopted globally for GPS and civilian geodesy.
Light Year
A light year is the distance light travels in one Julian year in vacuum — exactly 9,460,730,472,580,800 meters (about 9.46×10¹⁵ m). It is the most common unit for expressing inter-stellar distances in non-technical astronomy.
Defined as the speed of light (299,792,458 m/s, exact) multiplied by one Julian year (365.25 days × 86400 seconds/day). Both factors are exact, making the light year exact by definition.
Light years are used in popular astronomy, science journalism, and stellar distance descriptions. The nearest star (Proxima Centauri) is 4.24 ly away; the Milky Way is about 100,000 ly across.
Concept of distance-as-time used since the 19th century; the modern exact definition follows from the 1983 SI definition of the meter via the speed of light.
Earth's Equatorial Radius to Light Year conversion formula
The relationship between earth's equatorial radii and light years:
To convert earth's equatorial radii to light years, multiply the value in earth's equatorial radii by 6.741696e-10. To reverse, multiply light years by 1.483306e+9.
How to use this converter
Type a value into the calculator. The result in light years updates as you type. Tap a quick value, copy the result with one click, or use the swap arrow to jump straight to the Light Year to Earth's Equatorial Radius converter for the reverse direction.
Step-by-step: convert earth's equatorial radii to light years
- Write down the value in earth's equatorial radii (R⊕,eq).
- Multiply that value by the factor 6.741696e-10.
- The product is the equivalent value in light years (ly).
- To reverse, multiply the light year value by 1.483306e+9.
Worked examples
Example 1 — Convert 1 R⊕,eq to ly:
1 × 6.741696e-10 = 6.741696e-10 ly
Example 2 — Convert 100 R⊕,eq to ly:
100 × 6.741696e-10 = 6.741696e-8 ly
Earth's Equatorial Radius to Light Year conversion table
Standard reference values for converting earth's equatorial radii to light years:
| Earth's Equatorial Radius [R⊕,eq] | Light Year [ly] |
|---|---|
| 0.01 | 6.741696e-12 |
| 0.1 | 6.741696e-11 |
| 1 | 6.741696e-10 |
| 2 | 1.348339e-9 |
| 3 | 2.022509e-9 |
| 4 | 2.696678e-9 |
| 5 | 3.370848e-9 |
| 10 | 6.741696e-9 |
| 20 | 1.348339e-8 |
| 30 | 2.022509e-8 |
| 40 | 2.696678e-8 |
| 50 | 3.370848e-8 |
| 100 | 6.741696e-8 |
| 500 | 3.370848e-7 |
| 1000 | 6.741696e-7 |
Frequently asked questions
How many light years is 1 earth's equatorial radius?
How do I convert earth's equatorial radii to light years?
How do I convert light years back to earth's equatorial radii?
How many light years is 100 earth's equatorial radii?
Popular length unit conversions
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Metric / SI (4 units)
Imperial / US Customary (4 units)
Astronomical (8 units)
Sources & references
Conversion factor (1 R⊕,eq = 6.741696e-10 ly) verified against the following authoritative sources:
- BIPM — The International System of Units (SI Brochure 9th ed.)
Official BIPM publication defining the seven SI base units (including the meter) and the rules for their use. The global authority on units of measurement.
- NIST — Guide to the SI
US National Institute of Standards and Technology reference covering the SI base and derived units with definitions and usage rules for US technical practice.
- NIST Special Publication 811 — Guide for the Use of the International System of Units
Detailed NIST guide covering exact conversion factors between SI and US customary units along with formatting and rounding conventions.
- NIST — Refinement of values for the yard and pound (Federal Register 1959)
The treaty (signed by US
- International Astronomical Union — System of Astronomical Constants
The IAU defines astronomical units including the AU (149597870700 m exactly) light-year and parsec used in astronomy and astrophysics.