light-year
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light-year
An astronomical unit of length that corresponds to the distance light travels in a vacuum within one year. It is a unit of measurement for distances, not for time.
Der uns nächste Stern außerhalb unseres Sonnensystems ist über vier Lichtjahre entfernt.
The nearest star to us outside our solar system is over four light-years away.
The word is composed of 'Licht' (light) and 'Jahr' (year). It literally describes the distance that light travels in one year.
Die Entfernung zu dieser Galaxie beträgt mehrere Millionen Lichtjahre.
The distance to this galaxy is several million light-years.
Although the word 'Jahr' (year) is included, a light-year is a unit of measurement for distance, not for time. Learners make this mistake very often.
Ein Lichtjahr ist eine riesige Distanz von fast 9,5 Billionen Kilometern.
A light-year is an enormous distance of almost 9.5 trillion kilometers.
'Lichtjahr' (light-year) is almost always used together with a number and the word 'entfernt' (away) to indicate astronomical distances.
Der nächste Stern ist etwa 4,2 Lichtjahre von der Erde entfernt.
The nearest star is about 4.2 light-years away from Earth.
year
'das Jahr' and 'das Lichtjahr' look similar, but they do not mean the same kind of measurement. 'Ein Jahr' is a period of twelve months. 'Ein Lichtjahr', on the other hand, is not a measure of time, but a distance in space. It says how far light travels in one year. This confusion happens easily because 'Lichtjahr' also contains 'Jahr'. Memory tip: a year measures time; a light-year measures distance.
Der Stern ist mehrere Lichtjahre von der Erde entfernt.
The star is several light-years away from Earth.
Dieses Jahr möchte Lisa im Sommer nach Spanien reisen.
This year, Lisa wants to travel to Spain in the summer.