By rocket to Proxima Centauri: about 75,000 years
By rocket (61,000 km/h) it would take about 75,000 years to get to Proxima Centauri – at a distance of 40.2 trillion km, non-stop and in a straight line.
For comparison
Had you started 75,000 years ago, Neanderthals would still have been living in Europe. Voyager 1 itself, by the way, is not heading towards Proxima Centauri at all.
How it is calculated
- Distance
- 40.2 trillion km (4.25 ly)
- Speed
- 61,000 km/h (speed of the Voyager 1 probe)
- Formula
- Travel time = distance ÷ speed
- Result
- 40.2 trillion km ÷ 61,000 km/h ≈ 75,000 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: Proxima Centauri
Proxima Centauri is a small red dwarf and the nearest star to the Sun – 4.25 light-years away and part of the Alpha Centauri triple system. It is too faint to see with the naked eye. At least one planet, Proxima b, orbits it in the habitable zone.
Proxima Centauri: travel time by every vehicle
| Vehicle | Speed | Travel time |
|---|---|---|
| Car | 100 km/h | 46 million years |
| Airplane | 900 km/h | 5.1 million years |
| Rocket | 61,000 km/h | 75,000 years |
| Speed of light | 1,079,252,849 km/h | 4.2 years |