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How long is 5 years in space on Earth?

Published in Time Dilation 1 min read

This depends entirely on how fast you are traveling!

If you are traveling at near the speed of light, time will pass slower for you than for someone on Earth. This is due to the theory of relativity.

For example: If you spend 5 years on a ship traveling at 99% the speed of light, it will have been roughly 36 years on Earth.

However, if you are traveling at a more typical space travel speed, the difference in time will be negligible. For instance, if you travel at 25,000 miles per hour (the speed of the International Space Station), then 5 years in space will be approximately 5 years on Earth.


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