# Hands to Parsecs (hh to pc) Source: https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/length/hands-to-parsecs/ **1 hh = 3.2926317580755E-18 pc** One hand equals approximately 3.293 x 10-18 parsecs. A parsec contains about 3.037 x 1017 hands. The hand measures horse height; the parsec measures distances between stars. About 18 orders of magnitude separate them. ## Formula Convert Hands to Parsecs ## Conversion Table | Hands (hh) | Parsecs (pc) | |---|---| | 1 hh | 3.29E-18 pc | | 100 hh | 3.2926E-16 pc | | 10000 hh | 3.292631E-14 pc | | 1000000 hh | 3.29263175E-12 pc | | 100000000 hh | 3.292631758E-10 pc | | 10000000000 hh | 3.292631758075E-8 pc | | 1000000000000 hh | 3.2926317580755E-6 pc | | 100000000000000 hh | 0.00032926317580755 pc | | 10000000000000000 hh | 0.032926317580755 pc | ## 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. ### Parsec (pc) The distance at which one astronomical unit subtends an angle of one arcsecond. Approximately 3.26 light-years or 30.857 trillion kilometers. The standard unit in professional astronomy. ## Background The nearest star at 1.3 parsecs is about 3.95 x 1017 hands away. No horse, however tall, registers on the parsec scale. ## Good to Know The hand is one of humanity's oldest measurement units. The parsec is one of the newest. They span the entire history of human measurement, from Bronze Age horse traders to modern astrophysicists. ## FAQ ### How many parsecs is 1 hand? One hand equals approximately 3.293 x 10-18 parsecs. ### How many hands are in 1 parsec? One parsec contains approximately 3.037 x 1017 hands. ### Is this conversion useful? No. Horses and stars exist at scales 18 orders of magnitude apart. ## Non-Frequently Asked Questions ### How many horses from here to the nearest star? Proxima Centauri is about 3.95 x 1017 hands away. At 16 hands per horse, that is about 2.47 x 1016 horses stacked (24.7 quadrillion). Earth has about 60 million horses. You need about 412 billion Earths' worth of horses. Horse breeding alone will not get us to Alpha Centauri. ### Is a hand the most pointless unit for measuring parsecs? It is certainly among the most poetic. The hand - defined by Bronze Age horse traders pressing their palm against a horse's shoulder - measuring the distance to stars defined by 19th century astronomers using parallax. About 5,000 years and 17 orders of magnitude separate these measurement traditions. ### If alien civilizations measure horses, do they use hands? Unlikely. The hand is specific to Earth, English-speaking cultures, and equestrian tradition. Alien horse-equivalent measurement would depend on alien anatomy. If aliens have tentacles instead of palms, they would probably use tentacle-widths. We cannot help them convert to parsecs either. ## 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 - [Parsecs to Hands](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/length/parsecs-to-hands/)