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parsec

parsec [ par allax + sec ond], in astronomy, basic unit of length for measuring interstellar and intergalactic distances, equal to 206,265 times the distance from the earth to the sun, 3.26 light-years, or 3.08 × 10 ¹³ km (about 19 million million mi). The distance in parsecs of an object from the earth is the reciprocal of the parallax of the object. The nearest star, Proxima Centauri, has a parallax of 0.763′′ of arc and a distance of about 1.31 parsecs.

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parsec

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Â© World Encyclopedia 2005, originally published by Oxford University Press 2005. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

parsec (pc) Distance at which a star would have a parallax of one second of arc; equivalent to 3.2616 light years, 206,265 astronomical units, or 3.0857 × 10¹³ km.

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