# Parsecs to Hands (pc to hh)

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

**1 pc = 3.0370842337513E+17 hh**

One parsec equals approximately 3.038 x 1017 hands (about 304 quadrillion). The parsec measures interstellar distances; the hand measures horse height. These units have no connection except through mathematical conversion.

## Formula

Convert Parsecs to Hands

## Conversion Table

| Parsecs (pc) | Hands (hh) |
|---|---|
| 1.0E-17 pc | 3.0370842337513 hh |
| 1.0E-16 pc | 30.370842337513 hh |
| 1.0E-15 pc | 303.70842337513 hh |
| 1.0E-14 pc | 3037.0842337513 hh |
| 1.0E-13 pc | 30370.842337513 hh |
| 1.0E-12 pc | 303708.42337513 hh |
| 1.0E-11 pc | 3037084.2337513 hh |
| 1.0E-10 pc | 30370842.337513 hh |
| 1.0E-9 pc | 303708423.37513 hh |
| 1.0E-8 pc | 3037084233.7513 hh |
| 1.0E-7 pc | 30370842337.513 hh |

## Units

### 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.

### Hand (hh)

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

## Background

A parsec is about 304 quadrillion hands. A 16-hand horse is 5.27 x 10-17 parsecs tall. Even stacking every horse that has ever lived would not approach a fraction of a parsec.

## Good to Know

The hand is 5,000 years old, born from touching horses. The parsec is 100 years old, born from measuring stars. Between them: every unit humans have invented, every scale humans have explored, and 17 orders of magnitude of ambition.

## FAQ

### How many hands are in 1 parsec?

One parsec contains approximately 3.038 x 1017 hands.

### How many parsecs is 1 hand?

One hand equals approximately 3.292 x 10-18 parsecs.

### Is this conversion used?

Never. Horse measurement and stellar measurement serve entirely different purposes.

## Non-Frequently Asked Questions

### How many horses stacked reach 1 parsec?

At 16 hands (1.63 m): about 1.9 x 1016 horses (19 quadrillion). All horses that have ever lived (maybe 5 billion total) would stack to about 8.15 x 109 m = 2.64 x 10-7 parsecs. All horses in history stack to one four-millionth of a parsec. Horses cannot reach the stars by stacking.

### How many hands tall is the Milky Way?

The Milky Way (30,660 pc) is about 9.31 x 1021 hands. A hand (10.16 cm) is about the width of your palm. The galaxy is 9.31 sextillion palm-widths across. The galaxy would rate very poorly on any equestrian height chart.

### If alien horses existed at the nearest star, how many hands away would they be?

Proxima Centauri (1.3 pc) = 3.95 x 1017 hands. If alien horses were 16 hands tall, they would be about 2.47 x 1016 horse-heights away. Even in equestrian units, the nearest star is incomprehensibly distant.

## 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

- [Hands to Parsecs](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/length/hands-to-parsecs/)