# Miles to Astronomical Units (mi to au)

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

**1 mi = 1.07578001777E-8 au**

One mile equals approximately 1.076 x 10-8 astronomical units. The Earth-Sun distance (1 AU) is about 92.956 million miles. The mile measures American road distances; the AU measures planetary orbits.

## Formula

Convert Miles to Astronomical Units

## Conversion Table

| Miles (mi) | Astronomical Units (au) |
|---|---|
| 1 mi | 1.075780017769E-8 au |
| 5 mi | 5.378900088849E-8 au |
| 10 mi | 1.0757800177699E-7 au |
| 26.2 mi | 2.8185436465573E-7 au |
| 50 mi | 5.3789000888499E-7 au |
| 100 mi | 1.07578001777E-6 au |
| 500 mi | 5.37890008885E-6 au |
| 1000 mi | 1.07578001777E-5 au |
| 10000 mi | 0.000107578001777 au |
| 100000 mi | 0.00107578001777 au |
| 1000000 mi | 0.0107578001777 au |
| 92955807 mi | 0.99999999706285 au |

## Units

### Mile (mi)

An imperial unit of length equal to 5,280 feet or approximately 1.609 kilometers. The standard unit for road distances in the US and UK.

### 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 Sun is about 93 million miles away. Mars at closest approach is about 34 million miles (0.37 AU). The Moon is about 238,855 miles (0.00257 AU). Converting miles to AU helps Americans contextualize solar system distances in their road-trip unit.

## Good to Know

Americans learn that the Sun is '93 million miles away.' This number, drilled into every US student, is the only astronomical distance most Americans know in miles. It serves as the mental anchor for all space distances, even though professional astronomers never use miles.

## FAQ

### How many AU is 1 mile?

One mile equals approximately 1.076 x 10-8 AU (about 11 billionths of an AU).

### How many miles are in 1 AU?

One AU contains approximately 92,955,807 miles (about 93 million).

### How far is the Sun in miles?

The Sun is about 92.96 million miles (1 AU) from Earth. Light covers this in about 8 minutes 20 seconds.

## Non-Frequently Asked Questions

### How long would it take to drive to the Sun?

At 60 mph non-stop, driving 92.96 million miles to the Sun takes about 1,549,264 hours = 176.9 years. You would need about 7 generations of drivers, 450,000 oil changes, and infinite air conditioning. AAA does not cover this route.

### How many cross-country road trips equal 1 AU?

New York to LA is about 2,800 miles. 1 AU is about 93 million miles. That is about 33,200 cross-country trips. If you drove coast-to-coast once per week, it would take 639 years. The Sun is very far in road-trip terms.

### How many miles is my odometer compared to astronomical distances?

A car with 200,000 miles on the odometer has traveled 0.00215 AU, or about 1/465th of the Earth-Sun distance. After a lifetime of driving, your car has barely left Earth's neighborhood in astronomical terms. Your Honda is not exploring the cosmos.

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## See Also

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