# Nanometers to Astronomical Units (nm to au) Source: https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/length/nanometers-to-astronomical-units/ **1 nm = 6.6845871222684E-21 au** One nanometer equals approximately 6.685 x 10-21 astronomical units. The AU (149.6 trillion nm) measures planetary distances; the nanometer measures transistors and DNA. About 20 orders of magnitude separate them. ## Formula Convert Nanometers to Astronomical Units ## Conversion Table | Nanometers (nm) | Astronomical Units (au) | |---|---| | 1 nm | 0 au | | 100 nm | 6.6E-19 au | | 10000 nm | 6.684E-17 au | | 1000000 nm | 6.68458E-15 au | | 100000000 nm | 6.6845871E-13 au | | 10000000000 nm | 6.684587122E-11 au | | 1000000000000 nm | 6.68458712226E-9 au | | 100000000000000 nm | 6.6845871222684E-7 au | | 10000000000000000 nm | 6.6845871222684E-5 au | | 1000000000000000000 nm | 0.0066845871222684 au | ## Units ### Nanometer (nm) One billionth of a meter. Used to measure wavelengths of light, semiconductor chip features, and molecular structures. ### 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 1 AU = 1.496 x 1020 nm. A 3 nm transistor is 2 x 10-20 AU. The technology that navigates spacecraft to AU-scale destinations is built from nm-scale components. ## Good to Know The nanometer builds the spacecraft. The AU is where the spacecraft goes. Every Mars rover contains billions of 3 nm transistors that navigate 0.5-2.5 AU of interplanetary space. The smallest human technology crosses the largest human distances. ## FAQ ### How many AU is 1 nanometer? One nanometer equals approximately 6.685 x 10-21 AU. ### How many nanometers are in 1 AU? One AU contains approximately 1.496 x 1020 nm (about 150 quintillion). ### Is this conversion used? Not directly. But spacecraft navigation chips built at nm-scale guide missions across AU-scale distances. ## Non-Frequently Asked Questions ### How many transistors fit between Earth and the Sun? At 3 nm per transistor, about 4.99 x 1019 transistors span 1 AU (about 50 quintillion). All transistors ever made (roughly 1022) would span about 200 AU - past Voyager 1's current position. Humanity has made enough transistors to reach interstellar space, just not in a useful configuration. ### How many DNA helices span 1 AU? DNA is 2.5 nm wide. 1 AU = 1.496 x 1020 nm. That is about 5.98 x 1019 DNA widths. But uncoiled DNA from one cell is 2 m long. So about 74.8 billion cells' worth of DNA spans 1 AU. Your body has 37 trillion cells - enough DNA to span 493 AU, well past Pluto. ### Could a virus survive the trip from Earth to the Sun? A virus (100 nm) traveling 1 AU would need to cross 1.496 x 1018 of its own body-lengths. The UV radiation at 1 AU would destroy it in seconds. Viruses are nanometer structures optimized for biology, not space travel. They are impressive engineers but terrible astronauts. ## 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 - [Astronomical Units to Nanometers](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/length/astronomical-units-to-nanometers/)