How Long Would It Take to Travel to Betelgeuse?

Betelgeuse is a red supergiant star 700 light-years away in the constellation Orion. It's one of the largest stars visible to the naked eye and could explode as a supernova within the next 100,000 years.

Distance 700 light-years
Star Type Red supergiant (M1-M2Ia-ab)
Constellation Orion
Apparent Magnitude 0.42

How Far Is Betelgeuse from Earth?

Betelgeuse is 700 light-years from Earth. That is about 6.62 quadrillion km (4.12 quadrillion miles), or 44.3 million astronomical units.

Distance to Betelgeuse in different units
Unit Distance
Light-years700
Kilometers6,620,000,000,000,000 km
Miles4,120,000,000,000,000 miles
Astronomical units (AU)44,300,000 astronomical units
Parsecs215

Light from Betelgeuse takes 700 years to reach Earth, so the light you see tonight left Betelgeuse 700 years ago.

Voyager 1, the fastest object humans have sent into deep space, travels at about 17 km/s. It would need about 12.3 million years to cover this distance.

Time Dilation Formula Calculator

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

Distance to Betelgeuse
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 Betelgeuse

Notable For: 10th brightest star, likely to explode as supernova within 100,000 years

Frequently Asked Questions

How long to travel to Betelgeuse?

At light speed, it would take 700 years to reach Betelgeuse. At 1g constant acceleration with deceleration, a traveler would experience about 125 years.

When will Betelgeuse explode?

Betelgeuse could explode as a supernova anytime within the next 100,000 years. When it does, it will briefly be visible during the day and could be as bright as the full Moon at night.

How far away is Betelgeuse?

Betelgeuse is 700 light-years from Earth, which is about 6.62 quadrillion km or 4.12 quadrillion miles. Light from Betelgeuse takes 700 years to reach us.

How many light-years is Betelgeuse from Earth?

Betelgeuse is 700 light-years from Earth. One light-year is about 9.46 trillion km, the distance light travels in one year. In parsecs, Betelgeuse is about 215 parsecs away.

Explore Similar Destinations

Rigel 860 light-years Kepler-22 635 light-years Antares 550 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)