How long does light take to travel 1 AU?

How long does light take to travel 1 AU?

• A. 4 minutes
• B. 6 minutes
• C. 10 minutes
• D. 8 minutes

Answer: (D)

Light travels at a constant speed, so the time it takes to cover a distance is simply distance divided by speed. One astronomical unit is about 149.6 million kilometers, and light moves about 299,792 kilometers every second. Dividing the distance by the speed gives roughly 499 seconds, which is about 8 minutes and 20 seconds. So, light takes about 8 minutes to travel 1 AU. The other options correspond to shorter or longer distances than 1 AU, so they don’t match this travel time.

Light travels at a constant speed, so the time it takes to cover a distance is simply distance divided by speed. One astronomical unit is about 149.6 million kilometers, and light moves about 299,792 kilometers every second. Dividing the distance by the speed gives roughly 499 seconds, which is about 8 minutes and 20 seconds. So, light takes about 8 minutes to travel 1 AU. The other options correspond to shorter or longer distances than 1 AU, so they don’t match this travel time.