Astronomical Unit to Nanometer Conversion Calculator: Free Online Tool
Convert astronomical units to nanometers with our free online length converter.
Astronomical Unit to Nanometer Calculator
How to Use the Calculator:
- Enter the value you want to convert in the 'From' field (Astronomical Unit).
- The converted value in Nanometer will appear automatically in the 'To' field.
- Use the dropdown menus to select different units within the Length category.
- Click the swap button (⇌) to reverse the conversion direction.
How to Convert Astronomical Unit to Nanometer
Converting Astronomical Unit to Nanometer involves multiplying the value by a specific conversion factor, as shown in the formula below.
Formula:
1 Astronomical Unit = 1.4960e+20 nanometersExample Calculation:
Convert 10 astronomical units: 10 × 1.4960e+20 = 1.4960e+21 nanometers
Disclaimer: For Reference Only
These conversion results are provided for informational purposes only. While we strive for accuracy, we make no guarantees regarding the precision of these results, especially for conversions involving extremely large or small numbers which may be subject to the inherent limitations of standard computer floating-point arithmetic.
Not for professional use. Results should be verified before use in any critical application. View our Terms of Service for more information.
What is a Astronomical Unit and a Nanometer?
An astronomical unit is a unit of length roughly equal to the average distance between Earth and the Sun. It is defined as exactly 149,597,870,700 meters.
A nanometer is a unit of length equal to one billionth of a meter (1×10⁻⁹ m).
Note: The Astronomical Unit is part of the imperial/US customary system, primarily used in the US, UK, and Canada for everyday measurements. The Nanometer belongs to the metric (SI) system.
History of the Astronomical Unit and Nanometer
Historically used to measure distances within the Solar System, its value was refined over centuries through astronomical observations. The exact definition was adopted by the IAU in 2012.
The term combines the SI prefix 'nano-' (from Greek 'nanos', meaning dwarf) with 'meter'. It became prominent with the rise of nanotechnology.
Common Uses for astronomical units and nanometers
Explore the typical applications for both Astronomical Unit (imperial/US) and Nanometer (metric) to understand their common contexts.
Common Uses for astronomical units
- Measuring distances within the Solar System (e.g., planet orbits)
- Expressing distances to near-Earth objects
Common Uses for nanometers
- Nanotechnology and materials science
- Measuring dimensions on the atomic scale
- Specifying wavelengths of light and ultraviolet radiation
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions About Astronomical Unit (AU)
Why use Astronomical Units instead of kilometers or miles?
Astronomical Units (AU) provide a more convenient scale for the vast distances within our solar system. Expressing interplanetary distances in km or miles results in extremely large and unwieldy numbers.
How many kilometers/miles is 1 AU?
1 Astronomical Unit (AU) is approximately 149.6 million kilometers or 93 million miles.
How long does it take light to travel 1 AU?
It takes sunlight approximately 8 minutes and 20 seconds to travel the distance of one Astronomical Unit from the Sun to the Earth.
About Nanometer (nm)
How small is a nanometer?
A nanometer (nm) is incredibly small – one billionth of a meter. For perspective, a human hair is typically 80,000 to 100,000 nanometers wide.
How many nanometers are in a micrometer?
There are 1,000 nanometers (nm) in 1 micrometer (μm).
Why are nanometers important in technology?
Nanometers are the scale at which atomic and molecular interactions occur. Understanding and manipulating materials at this scale (nanotechnology) enables the development of new materials, electronics (like computer chips), and medical treatments.
Conversion Table: Astronomical Unit to Nanometer
| Astronomical Unit (AU) | Nanometer (nm) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 149,600,000,000,000,000,000 |
| 5 | 748,000,000,000,000,000,000 |
| 10 | 1,496,000,000,000,000,000,000 |
| 25 | 3,740,000,000,000,000,000,000 |
| 50 | 7,480,000,000,000,000,000,000 |
| 100 | 14,960,000,000,000,000,000,000 |
| 500 | 74,799,999,999,999,996,000,000 |
| 1,000 | 149,599,999,999,999,990,000,000 |
All Length Conversions
Other Units from Length
- Meter (m)
- Kilometer (km)
- Hectometer (hm)
- Decimeter (dm)
- Centimeter (cm)
- Millimeter (mm)
- Inch (in)
- Foot (ft)
- Yard (yd)
- Mile (mi)
- Nautical Mile (NM)
- Micrometer (μm)
- Light Year (ly)
- Parsec (pc)
- Angstrom (Å)
- Point (Typography) (pt)
- Mil/Thou (mil)
- Fathom (fath)
- Furlong (fur)
- Link (Gunter's) (li)
- Pace (pace)
- Span (span)
- Digit (digit)
- Cable Length (cb)
- Ell (ell)
- Finger (finger)
- Roman Mile (m.p.)
- Stadion (stadion)
- Chi (Chinese) (chi)
- Shaku (Japanese) (shaku)
- Li (Chinese) (li)
- Toise (toise)
- Bolt (bolt)
- Rope (rope)
- Smoot (smoot)
- Sajene (sajene)
- Ken (ken)
- Wa (wa)
- Vara (vara)
- Aln (aln)
- Cubit (Royal/Egyptian) (cubit)
- Versta (versta)
- Arpent (arpent)
- Ri (Japanese) (ri)
- Klafter (klafter)
- Yojana (yojana)
- Skein (skein)