Convert 1 AU into kilometers, miles, and light-minutes

The Astronomical Unit (AU) is a standard measure of distance used in astronomy to describe distances within our solar system.

• 1 AU = 149,597,870.7 kilometers (approx. 150 million km)
• 1 AU = 92,955,807 miles (approx. 93 million miles)
• 1 AU = 499.004 light-seconds, which is equal to about 8.3167 light-minutes

So, in simple terms, light takes a little more than 8 minutes to travel 1 AU — the average distance between the Sun and Earth.

This unit helps scientists easily express large distances in space. For example:

• Mercury is about 0.39 AU from the Sun.
• Jupiter is about 5.2 AU away.
• Pluto is about 39.5 AU from the Sun.

Instead of writing millions of kilometers, astronomers use AU for simplicity and precision. It’s also handy when comparing planets — for example, Jupiter is about five times farther from the Sun than Earth is.

In short, 1 AU = 149.6 million km = 93 million miles = 8.3 light-minutes.