In the course of time, man has looked up at the stars and has been interested in discovering what lies beyond and what are the mysteries that the universe holds. Either because you are passionate about science, because you need this information for an academic job or out of mere curiosity, below we reveal one of the most recurrent doubts of human beings.
Next, from a HOWTO, we discover you what is the distance between the sun and the earth and how to calculate it properly so that you yourself can discover some of the most interesting mysteries of the universe. Let’s go there!
How to calculate the distance between the Earth and the Sun
To make a measurement, whether it is weight, mass, temperature, force, etc., scientists have been in charge of studying these variables in order to quantify them. To do this, the first thing they did was to give a measurement standard to each physical magnitude with its respective name and all its equivalences.
Later, they created measuring instruments that were able to calculate exactly these physical and chemical quantities. This, of course, was done in different places and times, resulting in a great variety of names and parameters for the same magnitude. To demonstrate this, it is only necessary to take into account that there are countries where distances are measured in meters, while in others they are measured in miles.
Inches, yards, feet, etc. are also used. All this led to the need to create equivalences between some units and others in order to make the respective transformations. However, due to the large number of magnitudes that exist, scientists decided to create a measurement system that could be used anywhere.
By virtue of an agreement made in 1960, the International System of Units (YES). This SI is made up of 7 basic units with respective multiples and submultiples and their equivalents in other international units. Among them we find the meter (m), ampere (A), kelvin (K), candela (cd), mol (mol), kilogram (kg) and second (s).
What is the distance between the Sun and the Earth in kilometers
In ancient times, people believed that the Earth was the center of the universe. A short time later, they determined that the planets revolved around the Sun, describing exact circumferences, but it was not until 1571 that the German astronomer Johannes Kepler determined that the Earth and the other planets revolve around the Sun in elliptical orbits. This shows us that the distance between the Sun and the Earth has changed with each epoch in history.
One of the first calculations was made by the Greek astronomer Aristarchus of Samos, who proposed that the Sun was the center of the universe (heliocentric model) and that the Earth was 18 times more distant from the Sun than the Moon. The Italian astronomer Cassini managed to make the first measurement of the distance between the Sun and the Earth in 1672, using a technique called parallax or angular difference. It is the most precise manual method for measuring astronomical distances, as it uses very exact geometric and trigonometric calculations.
In the last meeting of international astronomy it was determined that the average distance between the Sun and the Earth is of 149,597,870.7 kilometers (approximately 150 million kilometers).
What is the distance between the Sun and the Earth in meters
If we make an equivalence of kilometers to meters, where 1 kilometer equals 1000 meters, the distance between the Sun and the Earth in meters would be 149,597,870,700.00 meters (150 billion meters).
Referring to another measurement system, it can be stated that the distance from the Sun to the Earth is 92,955,778.51 miles (approximately 93 million miles).
Distance between the Earth and the Sun in light years
Due to the great distances that exist between all the celestial bodies that occupy the universe, other units of measurement more in line with these distances have been proposed. Among these units we have the International Astronomical Unit UA and the measurement in Light Years.
The AU is a unit of length that refers to the distance between the Sun and the Earth, that is, 1 AU is equal to 149,597,870,700 meters. Light years, on the other hand, is a measure of length that refers to the distance that light travels in a vacuum in exactly one year. Since light travels at a speed of 299,792,458 meters per second, 1 light year is equivalent to 9,460,730,472,580,800 meters.
Taking into account the previous data, it is determined that the distance between the Earth and the Sun in light years is 0.00001581 light years.
How to calculate the distance between the Sun and the Earth
Light travels in a vacuum at a speed of approximately 300,000 km per second, and light from the Sun takes approximately 498.3 seconds to reach the earth. Therefore, applying the equations of uniform rectilinear motion that say that a body moves in a uniform rectilinear way when its trajectory is straight and it goes at constant speed, we say that this is equivalent to ensuring that the speed is equal to the distance over time. Therefore:
- Speed = 299,792,458.00 meters / second
- Time = 498.3 seconds
- Speed = distance / time
Distance = Speed x time = 299,792,458.00 x 498.3 (meters) = 149,386,581,821 meters.
If you have been interested in this explanation and want to learn more about astronomy, do not miss the following oneHOWTO articles:
If you want to read more articles similar to What is the distance between the Sun and the Earth, we recommend that you enter our category of University Careers.