Question

The table below shows some of the stars in our galaxy and their numbers of light years from the Sun.

Star
Light Years from the Sun
Chara
27.3 light years
Tau Ceti
11.9 light years
Zeta Leporis
70.2 light years
Epsilon Reticuli
59.5 light years

Which star is the closest distance to the Sun?

A.
Tau Ceti
B.
Epsilon Reticuli
C.
Zeta Leporis
D.
Chara

Answer 1

• Tau Ceti, 11.9 light years from the Sun

Step-by-step explanation:

The table is:

Star Light Years from the Sun

Chara 27.3 light years

Tau Ceti 11.9 light years

Zeta Leporis 70.2 light years

Epsilon Reticuli 59.5 light years

Light years is a unit of distance. It is the distance that the light travels in one year.

Since the speed of light is a constant,
`c` ≈ 300,000,000 m/s, one light year is equal to the product of
`c` by the number of seconds in a year (about 31,540,000‬ seconds).

Thus, the smaller the number of light years a star is from the Sun the closer the distance between the star and the Sun.

Rank the distances in increasing order:

• 11.9 light years < 27.3 light years < 59.5 light years < 70.2 light years

Then, Tau Ceti, with 11.9 light years is the closest to the Sun.