To convert kilometers (km) to light years (ly), you can use the following formula:
1 light year = 9.461 × 10^12 kilometers
Therefore, to convert km to ly, you divide the distance in kilometers by the conversion factor:
Distance in light years = Distance in kilometers / 9.461 × 10^12
For example, if you have a distance of 100,000 kilometers, the conversion to light years would be:
Distance in light years = 100,000 km / 9.461 × 10^12 = 1.058 × 10^-11 light years
Conversely, to convert light years to kilometers, you multiply the distance in light years by the conversion factor:
Distance in kilometers = Distance in light years × 9.461 × 10^12
For instance, if you have a distance of 5 light years, the conversion to kilometers would be:
Distance in kilometers = 5 ly × 9.461 × 10^12 km = 4.731 × 10^13 kilometers
Remember that these conversions are approximate since the speed of light may vary slightly in different media. However, for most practical purposes, this approximation is sufficient.