QQuestionAstronomy
QuestionAstronomy
How many years will it take to reach the nearest galaxy to us if we travel at 0.01 the speed of light, knowing that its distance from us is approximately 2 million light-years?
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Answer
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Step 1:Let's solve this step by step:
Step 2:: Identify the given information
- Distance to the nearest galaxy: $$2 \times 10^{6}$$ light-years
- Travel speed: 0.01c (where c is the speed of light)
Step 3:: Calculate the travel time
- First, we need to determine how long it would take to travel this distance at the given speed - Travel time = Distance ÷ Speed - Since the distance is given in light-years, we'll use light-years as our unit
Step 4:: Calculate the time
\text{Time} = \frac{2 \times 10^{6} \text{ light-years}}{0.01 \times 1 \text{ light-year/year}}
Step 5:: Simplify the calculation
\text{Time} = \frac{2 \times 10^{6}}{0.01} = 2 \times 10^{8} \text{ years}
Step 6:: Verify the calculation
- We divide the total distance by the fraction of light speed - This gives us the total years of travel
Final Answer
It would take 2 \times 10^{8} (200 million) years to reach the nearest galaxy traveling at 0.01 the speed of light.
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