Understanding the Concepts
* Light-minute: The distance light travels in one minute.
* Astronomical Unit (AU): The average distance between the Earth and the Sun.
* Speed of Light: Approximately 299,792,458 meters per second (or about 186,282 miles per second).
Calculations
1. Calculate the distance in meters:
* One minute has 60 seconds.
* Distance traveled by light in one minute: 299,792,458 m/s * 60 s = 17,987,547,480 m
2. Calculate the distance to Venus in meters:
* Venus is 6 light-minutes from the Sun, so multiply the distance light travels in one minute by 6.
* Distance to Venus: 17,987,547,480 m/min * 6 min = 107,925,284,880 m
3. Convert meters to AU:
* 1 AU is approximately 149,597,870,700 meters.
* Distance to Venus in AU: 107,925,284,880 m / 149,597,870,700 m/AU ≈ 0.72 AU
Therefore, Venus is approximately 0.72 astronomical units from the Sun.
