astronomical unit
a unit of length, equal to the mean distance of the earth from the sun: approximately 93 million miles (150 million km). Abbreviation: AU
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Origin of astronomical unit
1Words Nearby astronomical unit
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use astronomical unit in a sentence
In naming these enormous distances what astronomical unit is used?
The Chautauquan, Vol. III, February 1883 | The Chautauquan Literary and Scientific CircleThat was one astronomical unit, equal to about ninety-three million miles, the distance from Earth to the sun.
Rip Foster in Ride the Gray Planet | Harold Leland GoodwinWe are, so to speak, an astronomical unit, and we affect each other for better or for worse.
The Moon Destroyers | Monroe K. Ruch
British Dictionary definitions for astronomical unit
a unit of distance used in astronomy equal to the mean distance between the earth and the sun. 1 astronomical unit is equivalent to 1.495 × 10 11 metres or about 9.3 × 10 7 miles
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for astronomical unit
[ ăs′trə-nŏm′ĭ-kəl ]
A unit of length equal to the average distance from Earth to the Sun, approximately 149.6 million km (92.8 million mi). It is used especially to measure distances within the solar system. Compare light-year parsec.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for astronomical unit
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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