# Hands to Astronomical Units (hh to au)

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

**1 hh = 6.7915405162247E-13 au**

One hand equals approximately 6.791 x 10-13 astronomical units. A 16-hand horse stands at about 1.087 x 10-11 AU at the withers. The hand measures equestrian height; the AU measures the Earth-Sun distance. About 12 orders of magnitude separate these units.

## Formula

Convert Hands to Astronomical Units

## Conversion Table

| Hands (hh) | Astronomical Units (au) |
|---|---|
| 10000000000000 hh | 6.7915405162247 au |
| 20000000000000 hh | 13.583081032449 au |
| 50000000000000 hh | 33.957702581124 au |
| 100000000000000 hh | 67.915405162247 au |
| 250000000000000 hh | 169.78851290562 au |
| 500000000000000 hh | 339.57702581124 au |
| 1000000000000000 hh | 679.15405162247 au |
| 5000000000000000 hh | 3395.7702581124 au |
| 10000000000000000 hh | 6791.5405162247 au |

## Units

### Hand (hh)

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

### 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.

## Background

The Earth-Sun distance (1 AU) is about 1.473 x 1012 hands (about 1.5 trillion). The tallest horse ever recorded (21.25 hands) was 1.443 x 10-11 AU tall. Even stacking every horse on Earth would not approach 1 AU.

## Good to Know

A horse standing at 16 hands is about 1.63 meters tall at the withers. The Sun is about 92 billion such horses away. Equestrian measurement was not designed for interplanetary comparison.

## FAQ

### How many AU is 1 hand?

One hand equals approximately 6.791 x 10-13 AU.

### How many hands are in 1 AU?

One AU contains approximately 1.473 x 1012 hands (about 1.5 trillion).

### Is this conversion practical?

No. Horses and planetary orbits occupy different measurement universes.

## Non-Frequently Asked Questions

### How many horses stacked to the Sun?

The Sun is 1 AU = about 1.473 x 1012 hands away. At 16 hands per horse, you need about 92 billion horses stacked. Earth has about 60 million horses. You would need about 1,533 Earths' worth of horses. Horse breeding needs to scale up considerably.

### Is a 16-hand horse visible from 1 AU?

No. A 16-hand horse (1.63 m) seen from 1 AU (149.6 million km) would subtend an angle of about 10-11 radians. The Hubble Space Telescope resolves about 2.4 x 10-7 radians. The horse is about 24,000 times too small for Hubble. Horses do not photograph well from the Sun.

### If horses could fly, how long to reach the Sun in hands?

A horse gallops at about 60 km/h. The Sun is 149.6 million km away. At constant gallop: 149,600,000 / 60 = 2,493,333 hours = 284.7 years. The horse would need about 14 generations of relay riders. Space travel by horse is impractical even with wings.

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## See Also

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