# Random Cosmic Numbers

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-cosmic-numbers/849115>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [March 8, 2020, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-cosmic-numbers/849115 "2020-03-08T20:40:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![cjackson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a3d4f5/32.png) [@cjackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjackson)\
**Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-cosmic-numbers/849115/1 "2020-03-08T20:40:09Z")

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Proxima Centauri is 4.2 light years away. That is 24,673,274,438,400 miles. Going at the speed of the Sun through the Milky Way, 492,150 miles per hour, it would take 5,723 years to get there. In 100 years the Sun has only gone 431,123,400,000 miles, or 7 percent of 1 light year (5,874,589,152,000 miles).

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**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-cosmic-numbers/849115/2 "2020-03-09T18:45:04Z")

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Since the earth was formed, it has gone around the center of the Milky Way galaxy about twenty times.

> [@](#):
>
> [So remember, when you’re feeling very small and insecure,  
> How amazingly unlikely is your birth;  
> And pray that there’s intelligent life somewhere out in space,  
> 'Cause there’s bugger all down here on Earth!](http://www.montypython.net/scripts/galaxy.php)

Regards,  
Shodan

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**Author:** ![cjackson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a3d4f5/32.png) [@cjackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjackson)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-cosmic-numbers/849115/3 "2020-03-17T22:55:10Z")

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Could someone tell me if my numbers are right? I used a calculator.

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**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\
**Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-cosmic-numbers/849115/4 "2020-03-18T06:18:46Z")

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> [@cjackson](#):
>
> Could someone tell me if my numbers are right? I used a calculator.

I came up with 37.

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**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-cosmic-numbers/849115/5 "2020-03-19T00:17:58Z")

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> [@cjackson](#):
>
> Could someone tell me if my numbers are right? I used a calculator.

I’d have to say no, with no need to run the calculation myself, because you didn’t trim your answers down to just two [significant digits](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Significant_figures).