An astronomical unit (AU) is a unit of distance defined as the average distance between Earth and the Sun, approximately 149.6 million kilometers (93 million miles). It is commonly used to describe distances within our solar system.
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1 AU is approximately equal to 149.6 million kilometers or 93 million miles.
The astronomical unit was derived from the average Earth-Sun distance, making it a convenient measure for interplanetary distances.
The concept of AU has been standardized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
Distances to planets in our solar system are often expressed in AUs for simplicity.
1 AU is also used as a baseline for measuring parallax and determining distances to nearby stars.
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Related terms
Light Year: A light year is the distance that light travels in one year, approximately 9.46 trillion kilometers or about 5.88 trillion miles.