Convert megaparsecs to light-years

Explanation

From this page you can convert megaparsecs to light-years (or Mpc to ly) simply, by using the application above.

In case you are wondering, to convert from megaparsecs to light-years you need to multiply by 3261563.7772. This factor is calculated using the respective definitions of the two units you can find below.

Formula

1 Mpc≈3261563.7772 ly

megaparsecsMpc

dimension	length
symbol	Mpc

The megaparsec (Mpc) is unit of length used in astronomy.

Definition of the megaparsec

One megaparsec is equal to 1000000 parsecs.

Equivalences

One megaparsec is equivalent to:

Some Facts

Galaxies are not evenly distributed in space, they form groups. The Milky Way is part of the unimaginatively named Local Group.

This Local Group counts more than 80 galaxies, most dwarf galaxies with the notable exceptions of the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy. The diameter of the Local Group is roughly 3 megaparsecs.

Astronomical Distances Units

astronomical unit	au
parsec	pc
kiloparsec	kpc
megaparsec	Mpc
gigaparsec	Gpc

light-yearsly

dimension	length
symbol	ly

The light-year (ly) is a unit of length.

It is used to measure astronomical distances like the one between stars or the size of galaxies in popular science publications. It is superseded by the parsec in scientific contexts.

Definition of the light-year

A light-year is the distance that light travels in vacuum in one julian year (i.e. 365.25 days of 86400 seconds each).

Value in terms of the SI

One light-year is equivalent to 9460730472580800 meters.

Equivalences

One light-year is also equivalent to:

Some Facts

After the Sun, Proxima Centauri is the nearest star. Nearest and yet extremely far away, 4.244 light-years (25 trillion miles) from Earth. We have to agree that in a first approximation, the universe is almost empty. And yet, here we are, converting things to light-years.

Other Light Lengths

light-nanosecond	lns	0.000 000 001
light-microsecond	lµs	0.000 001
light-millisecond	lms	0.001
light-second	ls	1
light-minute	lmin	60
light-hour	lh	3600
light-day	ld	86 400
light-year	ly	31 557 600
kilolight-year	kly	31 557 600 000
megalight-year	Mly	31 557 600 000 000
gigalight-year	Gly	31 557 600 000 000 000