Convert parsec to light year
Please provide values below to convert parsec [pc] to light year [ly], or Convert light year to parsec.
How to Convert Parsec to Light Year
1 pc = 3.26156377694429 ly
Example: convert 15 pc to ly:
15 pc = 15 × 3.26156377694429 ly = 48.9234566541644 ly
Parsec to Light Year Conversion Table
| parsec | light year |
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Parsec
A parsec is a unit of length used to measure the large distances to astronomical objects outside the Solar System, approximately equal to 3.26 light-years. It is the distance at which one astronomical unit subtends an angle of one arcsecond.
History/Origin
The term "parsec" is a portmanteau of "parallax" and "second," coined by British astronomer Herbert Hall Turner in 1913.
Current Use
The parsec is the preferred unit of distance in astronomy and astrophysics for expressing the distances to stars and galaxies.
Light Year
A light-year is the distance that light travels in a vacuum in one Julian year.
History/Origin
The concept of the light-year as a unit of distance in astronomy emerged in the mid-19th century. The first recorded use of the term was in a German astronomical publication in 1851.
Current Use
The light-year is used to express distances to stars and other astronomical objects on a galactic and intergalactic scale, especially in popular science and non-specialist contexts.