light-second n.

the distance light travels in one second

  • 1915 W. T. Bovie Action of Light on Protoplasm in American Journal of Tropical Diseases and Preventive Medicine II. 507 page image

    The longest wireless waves ever produced are some number of light seconds long.

  • 1920 E.Q. Adams More Nearly Rational System of Units in Science 3 Dec. 527/1

    Astronomic units of distance now in use, ‘light second’, ‘light hour’, etc., are commensurable with the units proposed, the first being one billion times the fundamental unit of length.

  • 1922 H. Shapley On Significance of Recent Astron. Discovery in Homiletic Rev. July 52/2

    Expressing these large and small measures with reference to the velocity of light, we have an illustration of the scale of the astronomer’s universe—his measures range from the trillionth of a billionth part of one light-second, to more than a thousand light-centuries.

  • 1930 J. W. Campbell Metal Horde in Amazing Stories Apr. 12/2 page image John W. Campbell, Jr. bibliography

    The great control ships directed the dive of the radio-control-ships, making the distance one-twentieth part of a light second.

  • 1942 I. Asimov Black Friar of the Flame in Planet Stories Spring 21/2 page image Isaac Asimov

    One fleet was not two parsecs from Vega itself; another had captured Luna and hovered one light-second above the Earth.

  • 1956 L. Fogal Letter in Worlds of If Oct. 117/2 page image

    Let us select a foot as common measurement, and we shall define a foot as a certain fraction of a light-second so that any measurement system can be converted to feet.

  • 1976 A. C. Clarke Communications in Galileo Sept. 66/3 page image Arthur C. Clarke

    On the Apollo voyages, for the first time, men traveled more than a light-second away from Earth.

  • 1996 D. Weber Honor Among Enemies (1997) 488 David Weber

    Another light-second and a half, and she could bring the Manty under fire with her energy weapons.

  • 1999 V. Vinge Deepness in Sky xxii. 258 Vernor Vinge

    We have hundreds of millions of people living within a few light-seconds of each other.

  • 2012 A. Weir Martian xxv. (unpaged) page image Andy Weir bibliography

    Yes, NASA gave the OK for direct communication an hour ago. We’re only 35 light-seconds apart, so we can talk in near-realtime. I just set up the system and I’m testing it out.


Research requirements

antedating 1915

Earliest cite

W.T. Bovie, "The Action of Light on Protoplasm"

Research History
Adam Buchbinder submitted a 1922 cite from "On the Significance of Recent Astronomical Discovery" by Harlow Shapley
Adam Buchbinder submitted a 1920 cite from "A More Nearly Rational System of Units" by Eliot Q. Adams
Adam Buchbinder submitted a 1915 cite from "The Action of Light on Protoplasm" by W.T. Bovie
Ben Ostrowsky submitted a 2012 cite from Andy Weir.

Last modified 2021-10-18 22:58:13
In the compilation of some entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries in OED.