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SSM An astronomical unit (AU) is equal to the average distance from Earth to the Sun. about 92.9 × 106 mi. A parsec (pc) is the distance at which a length of 1 AU would subtend an angle of exactly 1 second of arc (Fig. 1-8). A light-year (1y) is the distance that light, traveling through a vacuum with a speed of 186 000 mi/s, would cover in 1.0 year. Express the Earth-Sun distance in (a) parsecs and (b) light-years.
Figure 1-8 Problem 53.
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