# Astronomical Units to Inches (au to in)

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

**1 au = 5889679948818.9 in**

One astronomical unit equals approximately 5.890 x 1012 inches, or about 5.9 trillion inches. This conversion expresses the Earth-Sun distance in the familiar American unit used for screen sizes, ruler markings, and small measurements. The enormous number makes clear why inches are not used for astronomical distances.

## Formula

Convert Astronomical Units to Inches

## Conversion Table

| Astronomical Units (au) | Inches (in) |
|---|---|
| 1.0E-13 au | 0.58896799488189 in |
| 1.0E-12 au | 5.8896799488189 in |
| 1.0E-11 au | 58.896799488189 in |
| 1.0E-10 au | 588.96799488189 in |
| 1.0E-9 au | 5889.6799488189 in |
| 1.0E-8 au | 58896.799488189 in |
| 1.0E-7 au | 588967.99488189 in |
| 1.0E-6 au | 5889679.9488189 in |
| 1.0E-5 au | 58896799.488189 in |
| 0.0001 au | 588967994.88189 in |
| 0.001 au | 5889679948.8189 in |

## 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.

### Inch (in)

An imperial unit of length equal to exactly 2.54 centimeters. Commonly used in the US and UK for screen sizes, body measurements, and construction.

## Background

The Earth-Sun distance is about 5.89 trillion inches. A 55-inch TV screen is 9.34 x 10-12 AU across. The diameter of Earth (about 502 million inches) is only 0.0000852 AU. These comparisons show how the inch, perfect for human-scale objects, becomes useless at planetary scales.

## Good to Know

Americans measure TVs in inches and planetary distances in miles or AU. The 5.9-trillion-inch Earth-Sun distance shows why we need different units for different scales. No one wants to describe their TV as '0.00000000000094 AU diagonal.'

## FAQ

### How many inches are in 1 AU?

One AU contains approximately 5.890 x 1012 inches (about 5.9 trillion). This derives from 1 AU = 149,597,870,700 meters x 39.3701 inches/meter.

### How far is the Moon in inches?

The Moon is approximately 15.13 billion inches (384,400 km) from Earth, which is about 0.00257 AU. Even the Moon distance is an enormous number of inches.

### Why would anyone express AU in inches?

Only for educational purposes to illustrate scale. The inch works perfectly for screen sizes and woodworking, but numbers in the trillions make it impractical for astronomy. This conversion helps demonstrate why different units exist.

## Non-Frequently Asked Questions

### How many inches is it to the Sun?

About 5.89 trillion inches. If you laid inch-worms end to end (each about 1 inch long), you would need 5.89 trillion of them. The caterpillar highway to the Sun is not in any infrastructure budget.

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## See Also

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