Question

the star sirius is 8.6 light-years from earth (in our earth-based reference frame). suppose you traveled from earth to sirius at 0.92 c . during your trip, how far would you measure the distance from earth to sirius to be?

Answer 1

L = L0 (1 - v^2 / c^2)^1/2

L0 is the proper length and L the distance measured by the space traveler

L = L0 (1 - .92^2)^1/2

L = L0 * .39 = 8.6 L-y * .39 = 3.4 L-y as measured by space traveler