as in worlds
a huge physical or conceptual distance
my sister and I are close in age, but personality-wise, there are light-years between us
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Recent Examples of light-years
Rubin released its first images last year, including colorful shots of the Trifid and Lagoon nebulas located thousands of light-years from Earth.
—
ABC News,
30 June 2026
The blue-white double star system Alpha Virginis — known colloquially as Spica — happens to shine roughly 250 light-years from Earth.
—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
29 June 2026
The featherweight pair — orbiting a star 1,110 light-years away — are the biggest exoplanets found to have less density than cotton candy.
—
Marcia Dunn,
Los Angeles Times,
28 June 2026
The researchers studied the planets' orbits using telescopes on Earth to determine their density, from 1,110 light-years away.
—
CBS News,
25 June 2026
The featherweight pair — orbiting a star 1,110 light-years away — are the biggest exoplanets found to have less density than cotton candy.
—
Marcia Dunn,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 June 2026
Given its distance of 3,000 light-years from the solar system, what is about to happen actually occurred 3,000 years ago, and the light is about to reach Earth.
—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2026
The star itself is called GJ 436, a red dwarf half the mass of the Sun that resides about 30 light-years from Earth.
—
John Timmer,
ArsTechnica,
25 June 2026
While Earth's storms can last hours or days, these cosmic disturbances can unfold over millions of years and span thousands of light-years.
—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
23 June 2026
ABC News,
30 June 2026
The blue-white double star system Alpha Virginis — known colloquially as Spica — happens to shine roughly 250 light-years from Earth.
—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
29 June 2026
The featherweight pair — orbiting a star 1,110 light-years away — are the biggest exoplanets found to have less density than cotton candy.
—
Marcia Dunn,
Los Angeles Times,
28 June 2026
The researchers studied the planets' orbits using telescopes on Earth to determine their density, from 1,110 light-years away.
—
CBS News,
25 June 2026
The featherweight pair — orbiting a star 1,110 light-years away — are the biggest exoplanets found to have less density than cotton candy.
—
Marcia Dunn,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 June 2026
Given its distance of 3,000 light-years from the solar system, what is about to happen actually occurred 3,000 years ago, and the light is about to reach Earth.
—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2026
The star itself is called GJ 436, a red dwarf half the mass of the Sun that resides about 30 light-years from Earth.
—
John Timmer,
ArsTechnica,
25 June 2026
While Earth's storms can last hours or days, these cosmic disturbances can unfold over millions of years and span thousands of light-years.
—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
23 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for light-years
Noun
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Hotel options offer something for the whole family The elegant Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota offers a best-of-both-worlds kind of stay.
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The movie was featured this past weekend at Prime Video’s all-day inaugural immersive event Obsessed Fest which brought fans face-to-face with the stars, creators and worlds behind the most buzzworthy YA, romance and book adaptation titles.
Noun
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The images may help scientists discern how galaxies form and cluster over billions of years, and how the universe came to be.
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This rapid spin can drag spacetime around the black hole, a phenomenon known as frame dragging, and may also help power the enormous relativistic jets observed in active galaxies.
Cite this Entry
“Light-years.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/light-years. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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