What fraction of light speed is that?
Everything we have ever launched is a rounding error next to light. Here is exactly how small a rounding error.
52% of Parker Solar Probe
100,000 m/s is faster than 4 of the 7 references on this page.
Reference figures are measurements and are rounded; the unit conversion behind them is exact.
| Reference | Size | Yours ÷ theirs | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| airliner at cruise | 250 m/s | 400× | |
| International Space Station | 7,660 m/s | 13.1× | |
| Voyager 1 | 17,000 m/s | 5.88× | |
| Earth around the Sun | 29,780 m/s | 3.36× | |
| Parker Solar Probe | 191,000 m/s | 0.524× | The fastest human-made object |
| solar wind | 450,000 m/s | 0.222× | |
| speed of light | 299,792,458 m/s | 1/2,998 |
Worth knowing
- The Parker Solar Probe reaches 0.064% of light speed. At that rate the nearest star is still 6 800 years away.
- The speed of light is exactly 299 792 458 m/s — not measured but defined, because the metre is defined from it.
Frequently asked
Why is the speed of light an exact number?
Because since 1983 the metre has been defined as the distance light travels in 1/299 792 458 of a second. Measuring c now means measuring the metre.
How fast would we need to go to reach another star?
At 10% of light speed, Proxima Centauri takes 43 years. Nothing we have built comes within a factor of 150 of that.