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Astronomy and Space

Observation and Measurement

Besides the light year, what other units are used to measure distances in astronomy?

The astronomical unit (AU) is often used to measure distances within the solar system. One AU is equal to the average distance between Earth and the sun, or 92,955,630 miles (149,597,870 kilometers). The parsec is equal to 3.26 light years, or about 19.18 trillion miles (30.82 trillion kilometers).



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