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How long does it take for the Sun’s light to reach the Earth?

Astronomy and Math Read more from
Chapter Math in the Physical Sciences

Because the Sun is an average of 93,000,000 miles (149,598,770 kilometers) from the Earth, and the speed of light is approximately 186,000 miles per second, it is easy to determine the approximate time (t) it takes for the Sun’s light to reach the Earth using mathematics:

t = 93,000,000 miles / 186,000 miles per second

= 500 seconds (miles cancel each other out)

= 8.3 minutes

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