How many thou are in 1 AU?

One AU contains approximately 5.890 x 1015 thou (about 5.9 quadrillion). Since 1 thou = 25.4 micrometers and 1 AU = 1.496 x 1017 micrometers, divide accordingly.

How thick is 1 thou in AU?

One thou (0.001 inch / 25.4 micrometers) is approximately 1.698 x 10-16 AU. This is less than a quadrillionth of an AU.

When would this conversion be used?

Never in practice. The thou is for engineering tolerances on PCBs, coatings, and thin materials. The AU is for planetary orbits. These measurement domains have no overlap.

Astronomical Units to Thou (au to thou) Converter

1 au = 5.88968 × 10¹⁵ thou

1 Astronomical Unit equals 5.88968 × 10¹⁵ Thou (1 au = 5.88968 × 10¹⁵ thou). Convert Astronomical Units to Thou with formula, table, and examples.

One astronomical unit equals approximately 5.890 x 10¹⁵ thou (mils), or about 5.9 quadrillion thou. The thou (0.001 inch / 25.4 micrometers) is used for precision engineering tolerances. The 15-order-of-magnitude gap between these units makes this conversion purely theoretical.

How to Convert Astronomical Units to Thou

thou = au × 5.88968 × 10¹⁵

Multiply the value in Astronomical Units by 5.88968 × 10¹⁵

Take your value in Astronomical Units
Multiply by 5.88968 × 10¹⁵
Read the result in Thou

Common Astronomical Units to Thou Conversions

Astronomical Units (au)	Thou (thou)	Status
1 × 10⁻¹⁴ au	58.8968 thou
1 × 10⁻¹³ au	588.968 thou
1 × 10⁻¹² au	5,889.6799 thou
1 × 10⁻¹¹ au	58,896.7995 thou
1 × 10⁻¹⁰ au	588,967.9949 thou
1 × 10⁻⁹ au	5,889,679.9488 thou
1 × 10⁻⁸ au	58,896,799.4882 thou
1 × 10⁻⁷ au	588,967,994.8819 thou
0.000001 au	5,889,679,948.8189 thou
0.00001 au	58,896,799,488.189 thou
0.0001 au	588,967,994,881.8898 thou

Good to Know About Astronomical Units to Thou Conversion

The thou survives in American electronics manufacturing, while the AU thrives in planetary science. Both are precision units in their domains, but a PCB designer and a planetary scientist would never need to compare notes in each other's units.

Astronomical Units to Thou: What You Need to Know

The Earth-Sun distance is about 5.9 quadrillion thou. A typical PCB copper foil at 1.4 thou is 2.4 x 10^-16 AU thick. A human hair at 3 thou is 5.1 x 10^-16 AU. These numbers show the absurd gap between engineering precision and astronomical distance.

What is a Astronomical Unit? au

Exactly 149,597,870,700 meters by IAU 2012 definition. Roughly the average distance from the Earth to the Sun. Used for distances within our solar system.

Astronomical solar system distances astronomy planetary science

Learn more about Astronomical Unit →

What is a Thou? thou

One thousandth of an inch (0.0254 mm). Also called a mil in the US. Used in engineering, manufacturing, and for measuring thin materials like plastic film.

Imperial engineering plastic film thickness wire gauges

Learn more about Thou →

Going the other way? Use our Thou to Astronomical Units converter.

Astronomical Units to Thou FAQ

One AU contains approximately 5.890 x 10¹⁵ thou (about 5.9 quadrillion). Since 1 thou = 25.4 micrometers and 1 AU = 1.496 x 10¹⁷ micrometers, divide accordingly.
One thou (0.001 inch / 25.4 micrometers) is approximately 1.698 x 10^-16 AU. This is less than a quadrillionth of an AU.
Never in practice. The thou is for engineering tolerances on PCBs, coatings, and thin materials. The AU is for planetary orbits. These measurement domains have no overlap.

Non-Frequently Asked Questions About Astronomical Units to Thou

Questions nobody should ask - but someone did.

A coat of paint is about 2-4 thou (50-100 micrometers). The Earth-Sun distance is about 5.89 trillion thou. So roughly 1.5-3 trillion paint coats. Even the most patient painter would give up.