Convert Light Hours to Megaparsecs
Convert Light Hours (lh) to Megaparsecs (Mpc) instantly and accurately.
Conversion Formula
Mpc = lh × 3.497620280e-11
About Light Hours
A light hour (lh) is the distance light travels in one hour through a vacuum, approximately 1.08 billion kilometers. Jupiter is about 0.72 light hours from the Sun, while Saturn orbits at roughly 1.3 light hours. This unit is useful for expressing distances to the outer planets and understanding communication delays with spacecraft. A radio signal to a probe near Jupiter takes about 43 minutes to arrive, representing the vast scales even within our solar system. Pluto at its farthest reaches about 5.5 light hours from the Sun.
About Megaparsecs
A megaparsec (Mpc) is one million parsecs or 3.26 million light years, the standard unit for measuring intergalactic distances. The Andromeda Galaxy is about 0.77 megaparsecs away, while most galaxies in the observable universe are measured in megaparsecs. The Local Group of galaxies spans about 3 megaparsecs. Astronomers use megaparsecs in combination with redshift measurements to calculate distances to distant galaxies and study the expansion of the universe. The Hubble constant, describing cosmic expansion, is expressed in kilometers per second per megaparsec.
Quick Reference Table
| Light Hours (lh) | Megaparsecs (Mpc) |
|---|---|
| 1 lh | 3.498 × 10-11 Mpc |
| 2 lh | 6.995 × 10-11 Mpc |
| 5 lh | 1.749 × 10-10 Mpc |
| 10 lh | 3.498 × 10-10 Mpc |
| 25 lh | 8.744 × 10-10 Mpc |
| 50 lh | 1.749 × 10-9 Mpc |
| 100 lh | 3.498 × 10-9 Mpc |