Parsecs to Astronomical Units

Parsec

A parsec (pc) is a unit of length used in astronomy to measure huge distances between celestial objects. It equals about 3.26 lightyears, or 31 trillion kilometers (19 trillion miles). The name comes from “parallax arcsecond,” referring to the way astronomers calculate distances by measuring the slight shift of stars in the sky.

The parsec helps express distances that are far too vast for lightyears or kilometers. Converting parsecs to other astronomical units makes the scale of the universe easier to understand for scientists and space explorers.

Astronomical Unit

An astronomical unit (AU) is a standard space measurement based on the distance from the Earth to the Sun—about 149.6 million kilometers or 93 million miles. It helps describe solar system distances in practical numbers rather than extremely large values.

Astronomers use AU values to measure orbits of planets, asteroids, and comets relative to Earth.