How long does light take to travel from the Sun to Earth?

Light from the Sun takes about 8 minutes and 20 seconds to reach Earth. The average distance between the Sun and Earth is about 149.6 million kilometers (93 million miles), and light travels at a constant speed of about 300,000 kilometers per second (186,000 miles per second).

Calculations:

Time = Distance / Speed of Light ​= 149,600,000 km / 300,000 km/s​ ≈ 499 seconds

499 seconds equals roughly 8 minutes and 19 seconds.

This time is often referred to as one "light-time unit" between the Earth and Sun, or 1 Astronomical Unit (1 AU). It means that when you look at the Sun (never directly with your eyes), you are actually seeing it as it was 8 minutes ago, not in real time.

This light-travel delay also applies to signals in space communication. For example, when spacecraft like NASA’s Parker Solar Probe send data back to Earth, it takes roughly 8 minutes for that signal to arrive — the same as sunlight.

So, every sunrise we see is already 8 minutes old, showing how even light takes time to cross the vastness of space.