Space Osmosis

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How long would it take to get to the nearest star?

The nearest star, Proxima Centauri, is about 4.25 light years away, roughly 24,963,582,637,689 miles. A car at 65 mph would need 43,811,900 years. A passenger jet at 570 mph would need 4,996,094 years. Even at Voyager 1's speed of about 17 km/s the trip takes 74,886 years.

24,963,582,637,689 mi

Distance

4.2 years

Light travel time

43,811,900 years

By car at 65 mph

4,996,094 years

By jet at 570 mph

Two bright blue-white stars with diffraction spikes against black space
Alpha Centauri A and B, the bright pair in the closest star system to the Sun, seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. The faint red dwarf Proxima Centauri is part of the system but is not in this frame. Image: NASA/ESA.

Travel time by vehicle

Travel time to the nearest star by vehicle
VehicleSpeedTime to Proxima Centauri
Walking3 mph949,257,839 years
Bicycle12 mph237,314,460 years
Car on a highway65 mph43,811,900 years
Passenger jet570 mph4,996,094 years
SR-71 Blackbird, its official speed record2,193 mph1,298,574 years
Voyager 1, about 17 km/s38,028 mph74,886 years
Parker Solar Probe at closest approach, 692,000 km/h429,989 mph6,623 years
Light670,616,629 mph4.2 years

At the speed of real spacecraft

No spacecraft is heading for Proxima Centauri. Voyager 1 is leaving the solar system at about 17 km/s and would take 74,886 years to cover the distance. Parker Solar Probe reaches 692,000 km/h (about 192 km/s) at its closest approach to the Sun, the fastest any spacecraft has gone. Holding that speed all the way would still take 6,623 years. Light needs 4.2 years.

Try your own speed

Other destinations

The MoonBy car, 145 days at the closest.MarsBy car, 59.5 years at the closest.The SunBy car, 160 years at the closest.VenusBy car, 41.7 years at the closest.

Sources and method