One light-year, which is a fundamental unit of measurement of the cosmic scale, is equivalent to the distance that light travels in a year in a vacuum, which is approximately equal to 9461 10 12 km. However, when we try to translate this astronomical figure into the flight time of an airplane, a familiar means of transportation to humans, it leads to a highly imaginative scientific question.
At present, the most advanced civil airliners generally cruise at around 900 to 1,000 kilometers per hour, while the fastest military jets can reach speeds of about Mach 3, or about 3,600 kilometers per hour. Assuming we have a superplane that can theoretically fly continuously at the fastest speed available, how long does it take for that plane to fly non-stop to cover a distance of one light year?
It has been calculated that it would take a staggering 260,000 years for an airplane to travel at a speed of 3,600 kilometers per hour to complete a light-year journey! This figure far exceeds the current limit of human lifespan and the time span of social development, and in fact shows that it is impossible to complete such a distant interstellar journey with current aircraft technology.
Of course, if we were to use the science fiction imagination and look to the ultra-fast or faster-than-light travel technology of the future, such as Hawking's theory of "curvature drive" or the "wormhole crossing" of science fiction movies, then the answer to this question will be completely different. But at the current level of science and technology, a distance of one light year is undoubtedly an unattainable goal for aircraft.
This question not only leads to a sense of awe for the vastness of the universe, but also reveals the great challenges of human scientific and technological progress and exploration of the unknown. While we are not yet able to fly a conventional aircraft across a light-year, scientists have never given up on the search for ways to travel faster and farther. Perhaps in the near future, new physical discoveries and technological breakthroughs will give us the ability to shorten this seemingly impossible journey and truly realize the sea of stars. And this is the charm of science, which inspires us to constantly push the boundaries of cognition and launch a brave challenge towards the vast universe.