How Long Would It Take to Travel to Arcturus?

Arcturus is an orange giant star 36.7 light-years away in the constellation Bootes. It's the 4th brightest star in the night sky and the brightest in the northern celestial hemisphere.

Distance 36.7 light-years
Star Type Orange giant (K1.5IIIpe)
Constellation Bootes
Apparent Magnitude -0.05

How Far Is Arcturus from Earth?

Arcturus is 36.7 light-years from Earth. That is about 347 trillion km (216 trillion miles), or 2.32 million astronomical units.

Distance to Arcturus in different units
Unit Distance
Light-years36.7
Kilometers347,000,000,000,000 km
Miles216,000,000,000,000 miles
Astronomical units (AU)2,320,000 astronomical units
Parsecs11.3

Light from Arcturus takes 36.7 years to reach Earth, so the light you see tonight left Arcturus 36.7 years ago.

Voyager 1, the fastest object humans have sent into deep space, travels at about 17 km/s. It would need about 647,200 years to cover this distance.

Time Dilation Formula Calculator

Spacecraft accelerates continuously throughout the journey. Realistic for ion drives or theoretical propulsion.

Distance to Arcturus
Speed vs Time
This chart shows how quickly you accelerate to a fraction of the speed of light over time.
Distance vs Time
Shows distance covered (in light-years) over time.
Traveler's vs Observer's Time
Shows how time experienced by the traveler differs from time on Earth.
Energy Requirement vs Distance
Shows the (simplified) energy requirements for maintaining relativistic travel as distance increases.
Doppler Shift vs Time
Shows how the Doppler effect changes observed wavelengths over time.
Velocity vs Distance
Shows how your speed changes as you travel further from your starting point.
Lorentz Factor vs Time
Shows how the Lorentz factor (γ) grows over time as relativistic effects increase.
Proper vs Observer Distance
Shows how distance measurements differ between the traveler's frame and the observer's frame.

Facts About Arcturus

Notable For: 4th brightest star in the night sky, brightest in northern hemisphere

Frequently Asked Questions

How long to travel to Arcturus?

At light speed, it would take 36.7 years to reach Arcturus. At 1g constant acceleration with deceleration, a traveler would experience about 15.4 years.

Why is Arcturus so bright?

Arcturus is 170 times more luminous than the Sun and relatively close at 36.7 light-years. It's an aging orange giant star that has expanded to 25 times the Sun's diameter.

How far away is Arcturus?

Arcturus is 36.7 light-years from Earth, which is about 347 trillion km or 216 trillion miles. Light from Arcturus takes 36.7 years to reach us.

How many light-years is Arcturus from Earth?

Arcturus is 36.7 light-years from Earth. One light-year is about 9.46 trillion km, the distance light travels in one year. In parsecs, Arcturus is about 11.3 parsecs away.

Explore Similar Destinations

Pollux 33.78 light-years TRAPPIST-1 40.66 light-years 55 Cancri 41 light-years

How to Use This Calculator

This time dilation calculator lets you enter a distance in light-years and acceleration in m/s² to see how time dilation affects your journey. It shows differences between traveler and observer times, maximum velocity, energy requirements, Doppler shift, Lorentz factor, and how distances vary between reference frames. Charts appear after you calculate.

Results

  • Traveler's Time: How much time the person on the spaceship experiences
  • Observer's Time: How much time passes on Earth during the journey
  • Maximum Velocity: The highest speed reached, as a fraction of light speed

Interactive Charts

  • Speed vs Time: How quickly you accelerate towards light speed
  • Distance vs Time: How far you've traveled over time
  • Traveler's vs Observer's Time: Compare time passage between Earth and spaceship
  • Energy Requirement vs Distance: How much energy is needed as you travel further
  • Doppler Shift vs Time: How light wavelengths change during your journey
  • Velocity vs Distance: Your speed at different distances
  • Lorentz Factor vs Time: How much time dilation increases with speed
  • Proper vs Observer Distance: How distance measurements differ between frames

What is Time Dilation?

Time dilation is an effect from Einstein's theory of special relativity. The faster you move, the slower time passes for you compared to someone standing still. At 90% of light speed, time passes about 2.3 times slower for the traveler than for someone on Earth.

What is the Time Dilation Formula?

The Time Dilation Formula is:

t' = t / √(1 - v²/c²)

Where:
t' = time measured by the observer (on Earth)
t = time experienced by the traveler
v = velocity of the traveler
c = speed of light (299,792,458 meters per second)