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astronomical unit
noun
: a unit of length used in astronomy equal to the mean distance of the earth from the sun or about 93 million miles (150 million kilometers)
Examples of astronomical unit in a Sentence
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MBAs are asteroids that orbit the sun within the asteroid belt, a region located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, about 2.1 to 3.3 astronomical units (roughly 195 to 307 million miles) from our star.
—George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
Graph: Rhett Allain Here, position is measured in astronomical units (AU), which was originally defined as the average distance from the sun to Earth.
—Rhett Allain, WIRED, 22 Nov. 2024
Calculations found that the outer star is 3,500 astronomical units (AU) away from the black hole.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 23 Oct. 2024
The numbers on the graph depict AUs, or astronomical units.
—James Wray, Discover Magazine, 18 Oct. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1848, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of astronomical unit was
in 1848
Dictionary Entries Near astronomical unit
Cite this Entry
“Astronomical unit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/astronomical%20unit. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.
Kids Definition
astronomical unit
noun
: a unit of length used in astronomy equal to the average distance of the earth from the sun or about 93 million miles (150 million kilometers)
More from Merriam-Webster on astronomical unit
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about astronomical unit
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