# Astronomical Units to Nautical Miles (au to nmi) Source: https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/length/astronomical-units-to-nautical-miles/ **1 au = 80776388.066955 nmi** One astronomical unit equals approximately 80,776,388 nautical miles, or about 80.8 million nautical miles. This conversion connects the solar system distance unit with the maritime and aviation navigation unit (1,852 m). No ship or aircraft has ever needed to express its position in AU. ## Formula Convert Astronomical Units to Nautical Miles ## Conversion Table | Astronomical Units (au) | Nautical Miles (nmi) | |---|---| | 1.0E-7 au | 8.0776388066955 nmi | | 1.0E-6 au | 80.776388066955 nmi | | 1.0E-5 au | 807.76388066955 nmi | | 0.0001 au | 8077.6388066955 nmi | | 0.001 au | 80776.388066955 nmi | | 0.01 au | 807763.88066955 nmi | | 0.1 au | 8077638.8066955 nmi | | 0.39 au | 31502791.346112 nmi | | 0.72 au | 58158999.408207 nmi | | 1 au | 80776388.066955 nmi | | 1.52 au | 122780109.86177 nmi | | 5.2 au | 420037217.94816 nmi | | 9.5 au | 767375686.63607 nmi | | 30 au | 2423291642.0086 nmi | ## 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. ### Nautical Mile (nmi) Exactly 1852 meters by international agreement. Based on one minute of arc of latitude at the Earth's surface. The standard unit for maritime and air navigation. ## Background The Earth-Sun distance is about 80.8 million nautical miles. A 12-nautical-mile territorial waters boundary is only 1.5 x 10-7 AU. A transatlantic crossing of 3,000 nautical miles covers 0.0000372 AU. These comparisons show the enormous gap between sea navigation and space navigation. ## Good to Know Maritime navigation uses nautical miles because they relate to Earth's geometry (1 NM = 1 arcminute of latitude). Space navigation uses AU because they relate to the Sun's gravity. Both are geometry-based units, just at incompatible scales. ## FAQ ### How many nautical miles are in 1 AU? One AU contains approximately 80,776,388 nautical miles (about 80.8 million NM). Since 1 AU = 149,597,870,700 m and 1 NM = 1,852 m, divide accordingly. ### How far is 1 nautical mile in AU? One nautical mile is approximately 1.238 x 10-8 AU, or about 12.4 billionths of an AU. ### Do spacecraft use nautical miles? No. Spacecraft navigation uses kilometers, AU, or radar-measured distances. Nautical miles are for maritime and aviation use only, based on the relationship to Earth's latitude (1 NM = 1 arcminute of latitude). ## Non-Frequently Asked Questions ### Could a ship sail to the Sun in nautical miles? 1 AU is about 80.78 million nautical miles. At 20 knots (typical cargo ship speed), it would take about 461,000 years. Your cargo would not arrive fresh. ## Related Articles - [Why We Measure: The Deepest Urge in Human Civilisation](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/why-we-measure) - [The Map Is Not the Territory: Why Every Measurement Is Wrong](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/the-map-is-not-the-territory) - [Zero: The Most Dangerous Number in Measurement](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/zero-the-most-dangerous-number-in-measurement) - [The Body as a Ruler: Every Measurement Unit That Came From Us](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/the-body-as-a-ruler) - [The Speed of Everything: How We Measure From Glaciers to Light](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/the-speed-of-everything) - [15 Obscure Measurement Units You've Never Heard Of (But Still Need)](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/obscure-measurement-units-guide) - [When Measurements Go Wrong - Disasters, Blunders and Happy Accidents](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/when-measurements-go-wrong) - [The Surprising Stories Behind Everyday Units of Measurement](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/stories-behind-measurement-units) - [Metric vs. Imperial - The Complete Guide to the World's Two Measurement Systems](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/metric-vs-imperial-complete-guide) - [Length & Distance Conversion Guide - Meters, Feet, Miles & Kilometers](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/length-and-distance-guide) ## See Also - [Nautical Miles to Astronomical Units](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/length/nautical-miles-to-astronomical-units/)