Distances

Distances in our solar system

All distances in our solar system can still be described in kilometers. However, since this would become very confusing at greater distances, the astronomical unit or AU was invented. The distance between the earth and the moon can still be described as 400,000 kilometers. The distance between the sun and the earth corresponds to 1 AU which is the equivalent of 150 million kilometers. As soon as distances outside of our solar system have to be specified, light years are specified as the unit. A light year is the distance that light can travel in one year. The light travels at about 300,000 kilometers per second, so it quickly becomes clear that in one year the distance would contain so many zeros that a human being could not imagine. As an example, it can be mentioned that the light from the sun to the earth takes about 8 minutes.

Distances of the planets from the sun