# Astronomical Units to Hands (au to hh)

Source: https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/length/astronomical-units-to-hands/

**1 au = 1472419987204.7 hh**

One astronomical unit equals approximately 1.473 x 1012 hands, or about 1.5 trillion hands. The hand (4 inches / 10.16 cm) measures horse height exclusively, while the AU measures planetary orbits. No equestrian has ever needed to know how many horse-heights fit between the Earth and Sun.

## Formula

Convert Astronomical Units to Hands

## Conversion Table

| Astronomical Units (au) | Hands (hh) |
|---|---|
| 1.0E-13 au | 0.14724199872047 hh |
| 1.0E-12 au | 1.4724199872047 hh |
| 1.0E-11 au | 14.724199872047 hh |
| 1.0E-10 au | 147.24199872047 hh |
| 1.0E-9 au | 1472.4199872047 hh |
| 1.0E-8 au | 14724.199872047 hh |
| 1.0E-7 au | 147241.99872047 hh |
| 1.0E-6 au | 1472419.9872047 hh |
| 1.0E-5 au | 14724199.872047 hh |
| 0.0001 au | 147241998.72047 hh |
| 0.001 au | 1472419987.2047 hh |

## Units

### 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.

### Hand (hh)

Exactly 4 inches (10.16 cm). The standard unit for measuring the height of horses, measured from the ground to the withers.

## Background

A horse at 16 hands tall would need about 92 billion copies of itself stacked end-to-end to reach the Sun. The Earth-Moon distance (about 3.79 million hands) is only 0.00257 AU. These comparisons exist purely to illustrate the absurd scale difference between equestrian and astronomical measurement.

## Good to Know

The hand is arguably the most specialized unit still in common use, applied only to horses. Pairing it with the AU, used only for solar system distances, creates a conversion between two of the most domain-specific units in existence.

## FAQ

### How many hands are in 1 AU?

One AU contains approximately 1.473 x 1012 hands (about 1.5 trillion). Since 1 hand = 10.16 cm = 0.1016 m, and 1 AU = 149,597,870,700 m, divide accordingly.

### How tall would a horse be at 1 AU?

A horse 1 AU tall would stand about 149.6 million kilometers, roughly the distance from Earth to the Sun. No horse has ever been that tall.

### Is this conversion ever used?

Never. The hand is exclusively for horse height. The AU is exclusively for solar system distances. They exist in completely separate measurement universes.

## Non-Frequently Asked Questions

### How many horses would you need to stack to reach the Sun?

At 16 hands per horse (1.63 m), you would need about 92 billion horses stacked withers-to-hoof to span 1 AU. The world has about 60 million horses. You would need 1,500 times every horse on Earth. Space colonization via horse tower is not recommended.

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## See Also

- [Hands to Astronomical Units](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/length/hands-to-astronomical-units/)