Parsec to Light-Year Converter
Enter a distance in parsecs, light-years, AU, or kilometers and instantly get all four unit equivalents plus a quick-reference table of well-known distances.
Use the Parsec to Light-Year Converter
Convert Distance
Quick examples
Results
Parsecs (pc)
Light-Years (ly)
Astronomical Units (AU)
Kilometers (km)
Common Astronomical Distances
Click any row to load that distance into the converter.
| Object | Parsecs | Light-Years | AU |
|---|
Summary
The parsec (pc) and light-year (ly) are both used to measure interstellar and intergalactic distances, but different sources favor different units. One parsec equals 3.26156 light-years, 206,265 astronomical units, or about 3.086 × 10¹³ kilometers. This converter lets you enter a value in any of these four units and immediately see the equivalents in the other three, with a built-in reference table covering distances from the Moon to the edge of the observable universe.
How it works
- Select the unit you want to convert from (parsecs, light-years, AU, or kilometers).
- Enter the numeric value in the input field.
- The converter immediately calculates and displays all four unit equivalents.
- Click any quick-reference row in the table below to load that distance into the converter.
- Use the Copy button to copy the full result set to your clipboard.
Use cases
- Convert catalog distances between parsecs and light-years for astronomy coursework.
- Check how many AU a nearby star's distance corresponds to.
- Compare the scale of distances from planetary orbits to galaxy clusters.
- Quickly verify a published distance against your own calculation.
- Load well-known distances (Proxima Centauri, Andromeda, etc.) from the reference table.
- Convert spacecraft trajectory distances between kilometers and parsecs.