A Light Minute is a unit of distance, approximately 18 million kilometers (11 million miles), which is the distance light travels in a minute. The range at which ships can engage in combat (i.e. exchange missiles) is typically 4 to 5 light minutes. The Earth to the Sun is over 8 light minutes. This is a sore point for the scientist under the Andromeda viewership as it raises a few fundamental questions. A common "sweep" from an Andromeda drone would take months for one stellar system. In the show it takes hours at best.