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To: George from New England
"What fraction of a light year is this number?"

About 70% of the speed of light (186,000 mph).

In other news... what website do I go to and get signed up to be called a 'scientist'? Or is that a certificate I can order from Amazon?

13 posted on 07/29/2025 8:50:55 AM PDT by alancarp (George Orwell was an optimist.)
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To: alancarp
About 70% of the speed of light (186,000 mph).

Light travels at 186K miles per SECOND. So divide the 70% by 60, then by 60 again. It's traveling about 0.019% the speed of light, but still faster than my kids when they started driving. LOL

18 posted on 07/29/2025 8:53:20 AM PDT by Tell It Right (1 Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
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To: alancarp
About 70% of the speed of light (186,000 mph).

The speed of light in a vacuum is 186,282 miles per SECOND, not per hour.

150,000 mph is nowhere near the speed of light.

26 posted on 07/29/2025 8:57:04 AM PDT by Campion (Everything is a grace, everything is the direct effect of our Father's love - Little Flower)
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To: alancarp

No. It is (2/3 of the speed of light)/60.

About a bit more than 1% of the speed of light, about 1/90 the speed of light.

You forgot to carry the 2. :)


36 posted on 07/29/2025 9:00:39 AM PDT by Jonty30 (My mom is half French. Her mother and father are French, but she lost her legs in a car accident.)
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To: alancarp; George from New England

1/5,163,600 of a light-year

So (assuming constant velocity) it would have taken approximately 21,887 years for an object traveling at 130,000 mph to reach Earth from Proxima Centauri (closest star at 4.24 light years).

Proxima doesn’t strike many as a likely candidate for life, so it would probably would have had to be sent sometime when the dinosaurs ruled the Earth.


40 posted on 07/29/2025 9:01:31 AM PDT by MeanWestTexan (Sometimes There Is No Lesser Of Two Evils)
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To: alancarp

“About 70% of the speed of light (186,000 mph).”

186,000 miles per second, 700 million mph.


54 posted on 07/29/2025 9:08:49 AM PDT by odawg
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To: alancarp
About 70% of the speed of light (186,000 mph).

The speed of light is 186,000 miles PER SECOND. So divide 70% by 3,600.

70 posted on 07/29/2025 9:20:02 AM PDT by Carry_Okie (The tree of liberty needs a rope.)
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To: alancarp

“ About 70% of the speed of light (186,000 mph).”

The speed of light is 186,000 miles per SECOND.


131 posted on 07/29/2025 2:28:40 PM PDT by Jim Noble (Assez de mensonges et de phrases)
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