Question

Can you explain how light applies to huge distances in space?

Answer 1

ight is the fastest thing we know of in the universe (so far!). Because other stars are so incredibly far away, it is convenient to measure the distance to other stars in "light-years"; the distance that light would travel in one year.

Light travels at 186,000 miles per SECOND, to a light year would be 186,000 miles per second * 60 seconds/minute * 60 minutes/hour * 24 hours/day *365.25 days per year = 5,869,713,600,000 miles. 5.8 TRILLION miles!

So measuring distances in light years means that we don't have to keep track of such big numbers.