By rocket to the Andromeda Galaxy: about 44 billion years
By rocket (61,000 km/h) it would take about 44 billion years to get to the Andromeda Galaxy – at a distance of 2.37 × 10¹⁹ km, non-stop and in a straight line.
For comparison
About three times the age of the universe. Meanwhile Andromeda is coming towards us at about 400,000 km/h – faster than the rocket.
How it is calculated
- Distance
- 2.37 × 10¹⁹ km (2.5M ly)
- Speed
- 61,000 km/h (speed of the Voyager 1 probe)
- Formula
- Travel time = distance ÷ speed
- Result
- 2.37 × 10¹⁹ km ÷ 61,000 km/h ≈ 44 billion years
Assumption: constant speed in a straight line, with no stops, acceleration or braking. Real spacecraft fly curved paths and use the gravity of planets.
Good to know: Andromeda Galaxy
The Andromeda Galaxy is the nearest large spiral galaxy and, at about 2.5 million light-years, one of the most distant objects you can see with the naked eye under a dark sky. It contains roughly a trillion stars and is larger than our Milky Way.
Andromeda Galaxy: travel time by every vehicle
| Vehicle | Speed | Travel time |
|---|---|---|
| Car | 100 km/h | 27 trillion years |
| Airplane | 900 km/h | 3 trillion years |
| Rocket | 61,000 km/h | 44 billion years |
| Speed of light | 1,079,252,849 km/h | 2.5 million years |