Here are the approximate distances from Earth to various celestial bodies in our solar system, along with the time it would take light to travel those distances:
- Moon: 384,400 km (1.28 light-seconds)
- Sun: 149.6 million km (8.3 light-minutes)
- Mercury: 77 million km (4.3 light-minutes)
- Venus: 261 million km (4.4 to 10.5 light-minutes, depending on the positions of the two planets)
- Mars: 78 million km (4 to 24 light-minutes, depending on the positions of the two planets)
- Jupiter: 628 million km (33 to 52 light-minutes, depending on the positions of the two planets)
- Saturn: 1.3 billion km (1.2 to 1.5 light-hours, depending on the positions of the two planets)
- Uranus: 2.7 billion km (2.5 to 2.9 light-hours, depending on the positions of the two planets)
- Neptune: 4.3 billion km (4 to 4.1 light-hours, depending on the positions of the two planets)
Note that these distances are constantly changing due to the orbits of the planets.
The fastest rocket to travel to another planet was the Parker Solar Probe, which was launched in August 2018 and is on a mission to study the Sun. Its speed is expected to reach up to 430,000 miles per hour (700,000 kilometers per hour) as it approaches the Sun. The fastest rocket to travel to a planet in our solar system was the New Horizons spacecraft, which flew by Pluto in 2015. Its maximum speed was
The time it would take for a rocket traveling at a certain speed to reach a planet in the solar system depends on the distance to the planet and the position of the planets at the time of the launch. However, I can give you some approximate times for a rocket traveling at the fastest speed achieved by a man-made object so far, which is the Parker Solar Probe, traveling at a speed of about 430,000 miles per hour (690,000 kilometers per hour):
- Moon: It would take the Parker Solar Probe about 4 hours to reach the Moon.
- Sun: The Parker Solar Probe is actually on a mission to study the Sun, and it will make its closest approach to the Sun in 2025, when it will be about 3.8 million miles (6.1 million kilometers) from the Sun’s surface. At its closest approach, it will be traveling at a speed of about 430,000 miles per hour, which is the same as its current speed. At this speed, it would take the probe about 9 days to travel from Earth to the Sun if it were headed straight for it (which it is not, as it is using gravity assists from Venus to get closer to the Sun).
- Mercury: At its closest approach to Mercury, which occurred on September 29, 2021, the Parker Solar Probe was about 5.5 million miles (8.8 million kilometers) from Mercury’s surface, and traveling at a speed of about 290,000 miles per hour (466,000 kilometers per hour). At this speed, it would take the probe about 47 days to travel from Earth to Mercury if it were headed straight for it.
- Venus: At its closest approach to Venus, which occurred on February 20, 2021, the Parker Solar Probe was about 517 miles (833 kilometers) from Venus’s surface, and traveling at a speed of about 430,000 miles per hour (690,000 kilometers per hour). At this speed, it would take the probe about 52 days to travel from Earth to Venus if it were headed straight for it.
- Mars: At its closest approach to Mars, which occurred on September 29, 2022, the Parker Solar Probe was about 6.2 million miles (10 million kilometers) from Mars’s surface, and traveling at a speed of about 190,000 miles per hour (306,000 kilometers per hour). At this speed, it would take the probe about 100 days to travel from Earth to Mars if it were headed straight for it.
- Jupiter: The fastest spacecraft to reach Jupiter so far was the Juno spacecraft, which took about 5 years to travel from Earth to Jupiter. However, Juno did not travel at the same speed as the Parker Solar Probe, which is much faster. At its closest approach to Jupiter, which occurred on December 21, 2020, the Parker Solar Probe was about 38 million miles (61 million kilometers) from Jupiter’s surface, and traveling at a speed of about 130,000 miles per hour (210,000 kilometers per hour). At this speed, it would take the probe about 2.5 years to travel from Earth to Jupiter if it were headed straight for it.
- Saturn: The fastest spacecraft to reach Saturn so far was the Cassini spacecraft, which took about 7 years to travel from Earth to Saturn. At its closest approach to Saturn, which occurred on December 19, 2024, the Parker Solar Probe is expected to be about 66 million miles (107 million kilometers) from Saturn’s surface, and traveling at a speed of about 62,000 miles per hour (100,000 kilometers per hour). At this speed, it would take the probe about
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