Astronomical Converter
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What is a Astronomical Converter?
An astronomical distance converter is a tool that converts between units used to measure vast cosmic distances such as light years, parsecs, and astronomical units (AU). It is used in astronomy, astrophysics, and space science for expressing interstellar and intergalactic distances.
How to Convert Astronomical Units
Select your source astronomical unit and target unit from the dropdown menus. Enter the distance value in the input field and the converter will instantly calculate the equivalent distance in your chosen unit. Use popular links for common conversions like light years to parsecs.
Astronomical Conversion Formulas
History of Astronomical Measurement
The astronomical unit was originally based on the Earth-Sun distance and formally defined as 149,597,870,700 meters in 2012. The parsec, derived from stellar parallax measurements, equals about 3.26 light years. The light year, approximately 9.46 trillion kilometers, became popular for expressing distances to stars.
About This Astronomical Converter
This astronomical converter supports 16 distance units including light year, parsec, astronomical unit, megaparsec, kiloparsec, gigaparsec, light second, light minute, light hour, light day, Earth radius, Sun radius, and lunar distance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far is one light year in kilometers?
One light year is approximately 9.461 trillion kilometers (9.461 × 10¹² km). It is the distance that light travels in one year in a vacuum.
What is the difference between a light year and a parsec?
A light year is the distance light travels in one year. A parsec is based on stellar parallax and equals about 3.26 light years. Astronomers prefer parsecs for scientific work because they relate directly to measurement methods.
How many AU are in a light year?
One light year equals approximately 63,241 astronomical units (AU). One AU is the average distance from Earth to the Sun, about 150 million kilometers.
What is a parsec used for?
A parsec is used by astronomers to measure distances to stars and galaxies. It is defined as the distance at which one astronomical unit subtends an angle of one arcsecond. Megaparsecs are used for intergalactic distances.
How do I convert parsecs to light years?
Multiply the parsec value by 3.26156 to get light years. For example, 10 parsecs × 3.26156 = 32.6156 light years.
Metric Conversion Factor Tables for Astronomical Converter
| Units to convert | Multiply By The Number | Convert as Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Light year (ly) | 0.306601 | Parsec (pc) |
| Parsec (pc) | 3.26156 | Light year (ly) |
| Light year (ly) | 63241.1 | Astronomical unit (AU) |
| Astronomical unit (AU) | 0.0000158125 | Light year (ly) |
| Light year (ly) | 9460700000000 | Kilometer (km) |
| Parsec (pc) | 30857000000000 | Kilometer (km) |
| Astronomical unit (AU) | 149600000 | Kilometer (km) |
| Megaparsec (Mpc) | 1000000 | Parsec (pc) |
Astronomicalconverters & it's abbreviations
| Unit | Abbreviation | Unit | Abbreviation | Unit | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| light year | ly | parsec | pc | astronomical unit | AU |
| kilometer | km | megaparsec | Mpc | kiloparsec | kpc |
| gigaparsec | Gpc | light second | ls | light minute | lmin |
| lunar distance | LD |
Complete list of Astronomical conversion units and its conversion.
- 1 light year = 0.306601 parsec
light year to parsec → - 1 parsec = 3.26156 light year
parsec to light year → - 1 light year = 63241.1 astronomical unit
light year to AU →
- 1 AU = 149597870.7 kilometer
AU to km → - 1 megaparsec = 1000000 parsec
megaparsec to parsec →
- 1 AU = 0.0000158125 light year
AU to light year → - 1 light year = 9.4607E+12 kilometer
light year to km → - 1 parsec = 3.0857E+13 kilometer
parsec to km →