Astronomical Unit Calculator

This online astronomical unit (AU) calculator converts distances in space from one unit to another, with the AU serving as a standard measure.

One AU is approximately the average distance between the Earth and the Sun, about 149,597,870 kilometers or 92,955,807 miles.

When we want to know how many AUs separate Jupiter from the Sun, we’d use an AU calculator. Given that Jupiter’s average distance from the Sun is about 778,500,000 km, the calculator would divide this by the number of kilometers in one AU:

778,500,000 km ÷ 149,597,870 km/AU ≈ 5.2 AU

This tells us that Jupiter is, on average, 5.2 times farther from the Sun than Earth is.

Astronomical Unit Calculation Chart

Astronomical Unit Formula

The Astronomical Unit formula is simple:

1 AU = 149,597,870 km

To convert from kilometers to AU, divide the distance in kilometers by this number. To convert from AU to kilometers, multiply by this number.

For example, let’s calculate the distance to Saturn in AU:

Saturn’s average distance from the Sun: 1,426,725,400 km

Applying the formula: 1,426,725,400 km ÷ 149,597,870 km/AU ≈ 9.54 AU

Conversely, to convert 9.54 AU back to kilometers: 9.54 AU × 149,597,870 km/AU ≈ 1,426,725,400 km

How do you calculate astronomical unit?

Calculating astronomical units involves converting between AU and other units of distance, typically kilometers or miles. Here’s an example:

Let’s calculate how many AU separate us from the Andromeda galaxy, which is approximately 2.537 million light-years away.

First, convert light-years to kilometers: 1 light-year ≈ 9.461 × 10^12 km 2.537 million light-years = 2,537,000 × (9.461 × 10^12) km ≈ 2.4 × 10^19 km

Now, convert this distance to AU: 2.4 × 10^19 km ÷ 149,597,870 km/AU ≈ 160,430,000,000 AU

Therefore, the Andromeda galaxy is about 160.43 billion AU away from Earth.

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