A light year is a measure of distance, not time. It represents how far light travels in one year.
- 1 light year = the distance light travels in one year.
- Light travels at about 299,792 kilometers per second (or about 186,282 miles per second).
- In one year, light travels about 9.46 trillion kilometers (or about 5.88 trillion miles).
So, what does 120 light years mean?
- It means light takes 120 years to travel that distance.
- If you see something 120 light years away, you are actually seeing it as it was 120 years ago.
Summary:
- 120 light years is a distance.
- Light takes 120 years to cover that distance.
- So, 120 light years corresponds to 120 years of travel time for light.
If you want to convert light years into any other unit of distance or understand the time it represents for light traveling, just remember: 1 light year = distance light travels in 1 year.
