How to convert astronomical units to light years
1 astronomical unit is equal to 0.00001581250741 light years, and 1 light year is equal to 63,241.07708 astronomical units. To convert, multiply by the conversion factor:
light years = astronomical units × 0.00001581250741
light years = astronomical units ÷ 63,241.07708Example: convert 15 au to ly: 15 × 0.00001581250741 = 0.0002371876111 ly.
Astronomical Unit to Light Year conversion table
| Astronomical Unit (au) | Light Year (ly) |
|---|---|
| 0.01 au | 1.581250741 × 10⁻⁷ ly |
| 0.1 au | 0.000001581250741 ly |
| 1 au | 0.00001581250741 ly |
| 2 au | 0.00003162501482 ly |
| 3 au | 0.00004743752223 ly |
| 5 au | 0.00007906253705 ly |
| 10 au | 0.0001581250741 ly |
| 20 au | 0.0003162501482 ly |
| 50 au | 0.0007906253705 ly |
| 100 au | 0.001581250741 ly |
| 250 au | 0.003953126852 ly |
| 500 au | 0.007906253705 ly |
| 1,000 au | 0.01581250741 ly |
About the astronomical unit
The astronomical unit is exactly 149,597,870,700 m, roughly the average distance from Earth to the Sun. It's used for distances within the solar system.
Symbol: au · 1 au = 149,597,870,700 m · Category: Astronomical
About the light year
A light-year is the distance light travels in a vacuum in one Julian year (365.25 days): about 9.46 trillion km. The nearest star system, Alpha Centauri, is about 4.37 light-years away.
Symbol: ly · 1 ly = 9.460730473 × 10¹⁵ m · Category: Astronomical