Parsecs to Yards
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1 parsec (pc) = 3.37454E+16 yard (yd). Parsec (pc) is a unit of Length used in Metric system. Yard (yd) is a unit of Length used in Standard system.

Parsec: A Unit of Length

A parsec is a unit of length that is often used in astronomy to measure the large distances to astronomical objects outside the Solar System. It is approximately equal to 3.26 light-years or 206,265 astronomical units (au), which are the average distances from the Earth to the Sun. One parsec is about 30.9 trillion kilometres or 19.2 trillion miles.

Definition of the parsec

The word parsec is a combination of “parallax” and “arcsecond”, which are terms related to the measurement of angles. Parallax is the apparent shift in position of an object when viewed from different perspectives. Arcsecond is a unit of angle that is equal to one sixtieth of an arcminute, or one three thousand six hundredth of a degree.

A parsec is defined as the distance at which one astronomical unit subtends an angle of one arcsecond. In other words, it is the distance from which the Earth-Sun distance would appear as one arcsecond on the sky. This can be illustrated by an imaginary right triangle, where the adjacent side is one au, the opposite side is one parsec, and the angle opposite to the parsec side is one arcsecond.

History of the parsec

The concept of the parsec was first proposed by the British astronomer Herbert Hall Turner in 1913, as a convenient unit for expressing stellar distances. He coined the term by blending “parallax” and “second”. He also suggested using the symbol “pc” for parsec.

The first measurement of a stellar parallax was made by Friedrich Bessel in 1838, for the star 61 Cygni. He found that the star had a parallax of 0.314 arcseconds, which corresponds to a distance of about 10.4 parsecs. Since then, many more stars have been measured for their parallaxes, using various methods such as telescopes, satellites and interferometers.

The parsec is now widely used in astronomy and astrophysics, especially for objects within and around the Milky Way galaxy. For more distant objects, such as galaxies and quasars, larger units such as kiloparsecs (kpc), megaparsecs (Mpc) and gigaparsecs (Gpc) are used.

How to convert parsec

To convert parsecs to other units of length, we can use the following conversion factors:

• 1 pc = 3.0857 × 10^¹⁶ m
• 1 pc = 1.9174 × 10^¹³ mi
• 1 pc = 2.06265 × 10^⁵ au
• 1 pc = 3.26156 ly

To convert other units of length to parsecs, we can use the inverse of these conversion factors:

• 1 m = 3.24078 × 10^^-17 pc
• 1 mi = 5.21553 × 10^^-14 pc
• 1 au = 4.84814 × 10^^-6 pc
• 1 ly = 0.306601 pc

Where parsec is used

The parsec is mainly used in astronomy and astrophysics, as it is a convenient unit for expressing distances between stars and other celestial objects. For example:

• The nearest star to the Sun, Proxima Centauri, is about 1.3 pc away.
• The center of our galaxy, the Milky Way, is about 8 kpc away.
• The nearest galaxy to ours, Andromeda, is about 780 kpc away.
• The most distant quasar known, ULAS J1342+0928, is about 8.8 Gpc away.

The parsec can also be used in other fields that deal with large distances or angles, such as geodesy, navigation and surveying.

Example conversions of parsec to other units

Here are some examples of converting parsecs to other units of length:

• How many meters are in one parsec?

To convert one parsec to meters, we multiply by the conversion factor:

1 pc × 3.0857 × 10^¹⁶ m/pc = 3.0857 × 10^¹⁶ m

• How many miles are in 10 parsecs?

To convert 10 parsecs to miles, we multiply by the conversion factor:

10 pc × 1.9174 × 10^¹³ mi/pc = 1.9174 × 10^¹⁴ mi

• How many astronomical units are in 0.01 parsecs?

To convert 0.01 parsecs to astronomical units, we multiply by the conversion factor:

0.01 pc × 2.06265 × 10^⁵ au/pc = 2.06265 × 10^³ au

• How many light-years are in 100 parsecs?

To convert 100 parsecs to light-years, we multiply by the conversion factor:

100 pc × 3.26156 ly/pc = 326.156 ly

• How many parsecs are in one meter?

To convert one meter to parsecs, we divide by the conversion factor:

1 m / (3.0857 × 10^¹⁶ m/pc) = 3.24078 × 10^^-17 pc

• How many parsecs are in one mile?

To convert one mile to parsecs, we divide by the conversion factor:

1 mi / (1.9174 × 10^¹³ mi/pc) = 5.21553 × 10^^-14 pc

• How many parsecs are in one astronomical unit?

To convert one astronomical unit to parsecs, we divide by the conversion factor:

1 au / (2.06265 × 10^⁵ au/pc) = 4.84814 × 10^^-6 pc

• How many parsecs are in one light-year?

To convert one light-year to parsecs, we divide by the conversion factor:

1 ly / (3.26156 ly/pc) = 0.306601 pc

Yard: A Unit of Length

A yard is a unit of length that is equal to 3 feet or 36 inches in the imperial and U.S. customary systems of measurement. It is also equal to 0.9144 meter in the International System of Units (SI). A distance of 1,760 yards is equal to 1 mile. The symbol for yard is yd.

How to Convert Yard

To convert a yard to other units of length, you can use the following formulas:

• To convert a yard to feet, multiply by 3. For example, 5 yd = 5 x 3 ft = 15 ft.
• To convert a yard to inches, multiply by 36. For example, 5 yd = 5 x 36 in = 180 in.
• To convert a yard to meters, multiply by 0.9144. For example, 5 yd = 5 x 0.9144 m = 4.572 m.
• To convert a yard to centimeters, multiply by 91.44. For example, 5 yd = 5 x 91.44 cm = 457.2 cm.
• To convert a yard to millimeters, multiply by 914.4. For example, 5 yd = 5 x 914.4 mm = 4572 mm.
• To convert a yard to kilometers, divide by 1093.6133. For example, 5 yd = 5 / 1093.6133 km = 0.00457 km.

Where Yard is Used

The yard is mainly used in the United States, the United Kingdom and some other countries that have historical ties with them. It is used for measuring length, distance, area and volume in various contexts such as:

• Sports: The yard is used for measuring the length of a football field (100 yd), the width of a soccer field (70 yd), the height of a basketball hoop (10 ft or 3.33 yd) and the distance between bases in baseball (90 ft or 30 yd).
• Textiles: The yard is used for measuring the length of fabrics and yarns (e.g., a yard of cloth, a skein of yarn).
• Construction: The yard is used for measuring the dimensions of buildings and structures (e.g., a yardstick, a cubic yard of concrete).
• Transportation: The yard is used for measuring the speed and distance of vehicles (e.g., miles per hour, yards per second).

Definition of the Yard

The current definition of the yard was established by an international agreement in 1959 as exactly 0.9144 meter. This definition was based on a prototype bronze bar that was forged in 1855 as an exact copy of the British Imperial Standard Yard held by Parliament. The prototype bar was called Bronze Yard No.11 and was the official standard of length for the United States until 1892.

The yard is defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of

(1/299792458) × (3600/3937)

History of the Yard

The origin of the yard measure is uncertain. It may have derived from the old English unit of tax assessment called the yardland, which was equal to 1/4 hide or about 30 acres. It may also have derived from the old English unit of surveying called the rod, which was equal to 1/4 chain or about 16 (1/2) feet.

The word “yard” comes from the old English word “gerd” or “gyrd”, which meant a branch, a staff or a measuring rod. The word “yard” was first used to describe this length in William Langland’s poem Piers Plowman in the late 14th century.

The first official standard for the yard was established by King Henry I of England in the early 12th century. He ordered that the yard should be equal to the length of his arm from the tip of his nose to the end of his thumb.

The yard was also used in other countries, such as Scotland, Ireland, France and Spain, with slight variations in length. For example, the Scottish yard was equal to 37 inches, the Irish yard was equal to 40 inches, the French yard was equal to 39.37 inches and the Spanish yard was equal to 32.38 inches.

The yard underwent several changes and refinements over the centuries, until it was finally standardized as 0.9144 meter in 1959 by an international agreement between the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Example Conversions of Yard to Other Units

Here are some example conversions of yard to other units of length:

• 1 yd = 3 ft
• 1 yd = 36 in
• 1 yd = 0.9144 m
• 1 yd = 91.44 cm
• 1 yd = 914.4 mm
• 1 yd = 1/1093.6133 km