Astronomical unit

This article is about the unit of length. For constants, see astronomical constant. For units in astronomy, see astronomical system of units. For other uses of "AU", see Au.

astronomical unit
The grey line indicates the Earth–Sun distance, which on average is about 1 astronomical unit.
General information
Unit systemAstronomical system of units
Unit oflength
Symbolau, AU, AU
Conversions
1 au in ...... is equal to ...
   SI units   1.495978707×1011 m
   Imperial units   9.2956×107 mi
   other units   4.8481×10−6 pc
   1.5813×10−5 ly

The astronomical unit (symbol: au or AU) is a unit of length defined to be exactly equal to 149597870700 m. Historically, the astronomical unit was conceived as the average Earth-Sun distance (the average of Earth's aphelion and perihelion), before its modern redefinition in 2012.

The astronomical unit is used primarily for measuring distances within the Solar System or around other stars. It is also a fundamental component in the definition of another unit of astronomical length, the parsec. One au is approximately equivalent to 499 light-seconds.

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