1 light year to meters
1 ly = 9.4607 × 10^15 m. Change the amount below, or read the formula and the reference table further down.
1 light year equals
meters
1 ly = 9.4607 × 10^15 m
The formula
Light years and meters both measure length from the same zero, so a single multiplier does the job.
m = ly × 9.4607 × 10^15
Going the other way? Convert meters to light years.
Light years to meters table
Values either side of 1 ly.
| Light years (ly) | Meters (m) |
|---|---|
| -4 | -3.7843 × 10^16 |
| -3.5 | -3.3113 × 10^16 |
| -3 | -2.8382 × 10^16 |
| -2.5 | -2.3652 × 10^16 |
| -2 | -1.8921 × 10^16 |
| -1.5 | -1.4191 × 10^16 |
| -1 | -9.4607 × 10^15 |
| -0.5 | -4.7304 × 10^15 |
| 0 | 0 |
| 0.5 | 4.7304 × 10^15 |
| 1 | 9.4607 × 10^15 |
| 1.5 | 1.4191 × 10^16 |
| 2 | 1.8921 × 10^16 |
| 2.5 | 2.3652 × 10^16 |
| 3 | 2.8382 × 10^16 |
| 3.5 | 3.3113 × 10^16 |
| 4 | 3.7843 × 10^16 |
| 4.5 | 4.2573 × 10^16 |
| 5 | 4.7304 × 10^16 |
| 5.5 | 5.2034 × 10^16 |
| 6 | 5.6764 × 10^16 |
Questions people ask
- How many meters are in a light year?
- One light year equals 9.4607 × 10^15 meters.
- How do I convert light years to meters by hand?
- Multiply the number of light years by 9.4607 × 10^15. For a rough check, 9.4607 × 10^15 is close enough for most everyday use.
- What is 1 light year in meters?
- 1 light year is 9.4607 × 10^15 meters.
Calcuit generates this page from a unit table, so the factors here match every other page on the site.