Here's why:

* One Astronomical Unit (AU): The average distance between the Earth and the Sun. This distance is about 93 million miles (150 million kilometers).

* Speed of Light: Light travels at a speed of approximately 186,282 miles per second (299,792 kilometers per second).

To calculate the time it takes for light to travel one AU, we can use the following formula:

Time = Distance / Speed

* Distance: 1 AU (93 million miles)

* Speed: Speed of light (186,282 miles per second)

Time = 93,000,000 miles / 186,282 miles/second ≈ 499 seconds

499 seconds is approximately 8 minutes and 20 seconds.