Cosmological Distance Calculator
Calculate luminosity distance, comoving distance, angular diameter distance, and lookback time using cosmological models.
Inputs
Results
Luminosity Distance
458.25 Mpc
Comoving Distance
416.59 Mpc
Lookback Time
13.8 billion years
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter the Redshift (z) of the object — from spectroscopic observations; nearby galaxies z ≈ 0.01–0.1, high-z quasars z > 2.
- Set the Hubble Constant (km/s/Mpc): Planck value is 67.4; SH0ES measurement is 73.0.
- Adjust Matter Density (Ω_m) and Dark Energy Density (Ω_Λ): standard ΛCDM uses 0.3 and 0.7 respectively.
- Read Luminosity Distance (Mpc) for flux-based calculations and Comoving Distance (Mpc) for volume statistics.
- Use Lookback Time (billion years) to determine the cosmic epoch you are observing and Age at Emission for context.
How the result changes with Redshift (z)
| Redshift (z) | Luminosity Distance | Comoving Distance | Lookback Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7,280.67 Mpc | 3,640.34 Mpc | 138 billion years |
| 3.5 | 51,714.2 Mpc | 11,492.04 Mpc | 483 billion years |
| 6.5 | 154,500.18 Mpc | 20,600.02 Mpc | 897 billion years |
| 9 | 281,376.64 Mpc | 28,137.66 Mpc | 1,242 billion years |
What each input means
- Redshift (z)
- Cosmological redshift
- Hubble Constant
- Hubble constant
- Matter Density (Ω_m)
- Matter density parameter
- Dark Energy Density (Ω_Λ)
- Dark energy density parameter
How this is calculated
Formula
d_L ≈ (c/H_0) × z × [1 + 0.5(1 - Ω_m + Ω_Λ)z]Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters4 parametersRedshift (z) = 0.1, Hubble Constant = 70, Matter Density (Ω_m) = 0.3, Dark Energy Density (Ω_Λ) = 0.7 = 4 input(s) provided
- Calculate Luminosity DistanceLuminosity Distance458.25 = 458.25
- Calculate Comoving DistanceComoving Distance416.59 = 416.59
- Calculate Lookback TimeLookback Time13.8 = 13.8
- Calculate Angular Diameter DistanceAngular Diameter Distance378.72 = 378.72
- Calculate Age at EmissionAge at Emission0 = 0
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