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astronomical unit.

Noun
Sci-FiSettingTechnical
MEANING

A standard distance unit equal to 149,597,870,700 meters, approximately the mean Earth–Sun distance.

Use it for

solar-system distances at a readable scale; orbital separation distinguished from travel time; a defined unit rather than a changing instantaneous distance

Words that belong together

  • one astronomical unit
  • distances in astronomical units

On the page

The chart listed the outer station’s distance in astronomical units.
The navigator reminded them that one astronomical unit was a distance, not a promised journey time.

Related words

AUausolar-system distance unit
Word forms
Base
astronomical unit

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Science-fiction vocabulary

Usage notes

Primary category: sci-fi. Forms: Singular astronomical unit; plural astronomical units. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.

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