Question

What is the difference between kilometers, AU, light-years and parsecs? Which measure or measures is/are best for describing distances to stars and why?

Answer 1

Answer on question #55242,Physics / Astronomy — Astrophysics

Question What is the difference between kilometers, AU, light-years and parsecs? Which measure or measures is/are best for describing distances to stars and why?

Solution AU is average distance between Earth and Sun and is equal to $150\cdot 10^{6}$ km.

Light year is distance that light will travel in one year and is equal to $9.46\cdot 10^{12}$ km.

Parsec is distance at which one astronomical unit subtends an angle of one arcsecond and is equal to $31\cdot 10^{12}$ km.

The best for describing distances to stars are parsecs, because they are the biggest and the are related to measurent of paralax angle.

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