Question

The Andromeda Galaxy is about 2.2 million (2.2 x 10⁶) light-years from the Milky Way Galaxy. What is its distance in miles and astronomical units (au)? Show your work.

Answer 1

The Andromeda Galaxy is 2.2 million light-years from the Milky Way, which is approximately 1.29338 × 1019 miles or 1.39128 × 1011 astronomical units (au).

Step-by-step explanation:

The Andromeda Galaxy is approximately 2.2 million light-years away from the Milky Way Galaxy. To convert this distance into miles, we use the fact that one light-year is about 5.879 × 1012 miles. Thus:

• Distance in miles = 2.2 × 106 × 5.879 × 1012 miles.
• Distance in miles = 1.29338 × 1019 miles.

To convert the distance into astronomical units (au), we use the fact that one light-year is equal to about 63,240 au. So:

• Distance in au = 2.2 × 106 × 63,240 au.
• Distance in au = 1.39128 × 1011 au.