A unit of distance equal to 3.26 light-years. The name means "PARallax-SECond," and it refers to a way to measure the distances to other stars. The most accurate way to measure the distances to close stars is to use basic geometry. Astronomers measure the position of a star in the sky at six-month intervals, when Earth is on opposite sides of the Sun. If the star is close, then it will appear to shift a bit compared to the background stars. It's the same effect you see if you hold your finger in front of your face and look at it with first one eye, then the other: the finger appears to move against the background of objects. This effect is called parallax. If a star has a parallax of one second -- in other words, it appears to shift back and forth across the sky by exactly one second of arc (1/3600 of a degree), then its distance is one parsec.
Unit of distance corresponding to the distance of a body whose parallax equals one arc second.
206265 AU = 3.26 light year.
A distance equal to 3.26 light years, or 3.1 x 1018 cm kiloparsec (kpc) is equal to 1000 parsecs. A megaparsec (Mpc) is equal to a million (106) parsecs.
parallax second, the distance at which I AU subtends an angle of 1second of arc: 1 parsec = 1.9x1013 mi. = 3.26 light years.
Contraction of parallax second. A unit of distance, equal to the distance at which the parallax of a star is equal to one second of arc. Approximately 3 1/4 light years, or 200000 AUs, or 20 trillion miles, or 30 trillion kilometers.
the distance at which one astronomical unit subtends an angle of one second of arc; equivalently the distance to an object having an annual parallax of one second of arc.
3.26 light years or about 3.084198 x 10^13 Kilometers
A unit of distance, an object that is one parsec away would have a parallax of one arcsecond. One parsec is roughly three light years.
word derived from blending par allax and sec ond] a unit for measurement of distances of stars (from Earth) that equals 3.26 light-years (19 billion miles)
A measure of distance. A star would be one parsec from a planet if it had a parallax of 1 arc second. Equal to about 3.26 light years. Kiloparsecs and megaparsecs, thousands of parsecs and millions of parsecs respectively, are also used.
The distance at which a star must lie in order that its measured parallax is exactly 1 arc second, equal to 206,000 A.U.
(pc): distance at which an object would have a parallax of one arc second. Equals approximately 3.26 light years or about 206,265 astronomical units.
A historical unit of distance equal to 3.26 light years. A megaparsec is one million parsecs, while a gigaparsec is one billion parsecs.
a distance having a PARallax of one SECond of arc, as measured from diametrically opposite points along the Earth's orbit
a measurement of distance, not time
an abbreviation for "parallax second"
an astronomical unit of length, typically used to express distances of astronomical objects from the Earth
pc The distance in space at which an object would subtend a parallax angle of 1 arc second from Earth. This corresponds to a distance of 3.08 x 1016 m or about 3.26 light years.
a distance of 3.26 light-years; used to measure immense distances in space.
The distance to an object that has a parallax of one arcsecond (equivalent to 3.26 light years).
The distance at which a star would have a parallax of one arcsecond. (3.2616 light years, 206,265 astronomical units, 30.857 x 10^12 km).
(symbol pc) A PARallax SECond. The diagram (right) shows how it is defined. The Earth's orbit is shown around the Sun. Over a period of 6 months, we move from A to B. A nearby star (white) will appear to change position against the background of more distant stars (not shown). The angular change in position (parallax) that the star undergoes is . The parsec is defined as being the distance for which is 1 arc-second. No star is quite this close, but this unit is useful as if one can measure parallax, you can instantly find the distance in parsecs.
A unit of length approximately equal to 3.26 light-years, or nineteen trillion miles.
pc) a unit of measurement often used for interstellar or intergalactic distances; approximately equal to 3.2616 light years
the distance at which a star would have a parallax of one arc second: 3.085 x 1016 m. The standard astronomical distance unit outside the solar system. Takes standard SI prefixes, so 1 kpc = 1000 pc, 1 Mpc = 106 pc, etc.
parsec is defined as the distance from which the axis of Earth's orbit (1 Astronomical Unit) spans an angle of an arcsecond. pc = 3,261633 ly
the distance an object would have to be from Earth so that its parallax when viewed from two points separated by 1 AU would be one arcsecond; equal to 3.26 light-years.
The distance at which one astronomical unit (150 million kilometers) subtends one second of arc. One parsec is equal to 3.26 light-years in distance.
A unit of distance equivalent to about 3.09 x 10^18 centimeters. The abbreviation for parsec is pc. 1 Mpc = 1 million parsecs. More.
The distance from Earth an object would have if its parallax were one second of arc. One parsec equals 3.26163 light-years.
the distance at which one A.U. subtends an angle of 1 arc second; 1 parsec = 3.2616 light years.
(From PARallax + SECond). A unit of distance between stars. A star would be one parsec from Earth if its (stellar) parallax (see above) were 1 second of arc. One parsec is about 3 1/4 light years.
(pc) The distance a star has to be to have a parallax shift of 1 arcsecond. (No star is actually this close). 1 parsec = 3.2616 light years.
The distance at which a star must lie in order that its measured parallax due to the Earth's orbit around the Sun is exactly 1 arc second, equal to 3.3 light years.
A standard unit of astronomical space measurement (from PARallax + SECond) A distance of 3.26 light years. Based on a distance needed to see one second (of a degree) of parallax (change of apparent position) in a star from either side of the Earth's orbit.
Measure of distance, 1 parsec = approximately 3.26 light years.
The distance at which a star would have a parallax angle of 1". Approximately 3.26 light years or 32 million million km.
A parsec is a measure of distance used by astronomers. It is defined using the motion of the earth. As the earth moves from one end of its orbit to the other, stars will move slightly. Half the inverse of the angle it moves in arcsecs (see arcmins) during this motion is the distance to the star in parsecs. One parsec is 3.26 light-years, 206,265 astronomical units (AU) or 3.1x1016 metres.
A unit for expressing large distances. It is the distance at which a star would have a parallax of one arc second with a baseline of 1AU (the mean Sun-Earth distance). A Parsec is equal to 3.2616 light years, 206,265 astronomical units (AU) or 30.857 * 10E12 km.
The distance from which one astronomical unit appears to cover. More importantly, a parsec equals 3.261633 light years.
an astronomical unit of measure. The distance required to be away from the solar system such that the orbit of the Earth subtends one second of arc (parsec = parallax second), numerically equal to 3.1e18 cm.
the apparent shift of a relatively nearby object against a fixed background due to the motion of the observer; astronomers observe the parallax of stars to measure their distances
a unit of distance used by astronomers, corresponding to a parallax of one arc-second. Equal to 3.085678x1013 kilometers, or 3.26 light-years. kpc: 1000 parsecs; Mpc: 1 million parsecs.
A unit of measurement for distance (stands for par allax of one arc sec ond; abbr. pc), equal to about 3.26 LY (206,265 AU).
A large distance often used in astronomy. A parsec is equal to 3.26 light years.
3.3 light years, or 3.1x10^18 cm. kiloparsec: 1000 parsecs.
A unit of distance in astronomy, equal to 3.26 light years. At a distance of 1 parsec, a star has a parallax of one arcsecond.
A measure of distance which is roughly 3.26 Light Years.
A unit of distance equal to 3.26 light-years, and the the distance at which a star would have a parallax of 1 second of arc.
Abbreviated pc. A unit of distance, about 3.26 light years.
short form of "parallax second". It is the distance at which an observer would see the mean radius of the terrestrial orbit (that is an Astronomical Unit) under an angle of 1 arc second. It corresponds to 3.26 light years, to 206,000 UA and to 30,640 billion km.
A unit of astronomical length based on the distance from Earth at which stellar parallax is 1 second of arc; equivalent to 3.262 light years.
(pc): The distance an object would haveto be from the earth so that its heliocentric parallax would be 1 second of arc; equal to 3.26 light years; a kiloparsec is 1000parsecs.
A unit of distance equal to 3.16 light years. The name is derived from PARallax and SECond since one parsec is the distance at which the Earth's orbit subtends an angle of one arcsecond.
distance corresponding to a parallax angle of one arc second using observations from opposite sides of Earth's orbit. One parsec is equal to about 3.26 light-years. See the Astro 201 explanation of parallax for a graphical illustration.
A measurement of distance equal to the distance of a star would shout 1 arc second of parallax or 3.26 light-years.
Comes from the two words " parallax" and "second". A Parsec is a distance in space, equal to about 3.26 light years. In terms of angles, a circle is divided into 360 degrees, a degree is divided into 60 minutes and each minute is divided into 60 seconds. A parsec is the distance that a star would need to be from the Earth in order to give a parallax of one second of angular movement against the background sky.
The parsec (symbol pc) is a unit of length used in astronomy. It stands for "parallax of one arc second".