As we have explored this unit, Astronomical Units have been lost to the wind. Let's take a little time to review what exactly this is and why do scientists use it? The astronomical unit is a unit of length, roughly the distance from Earth to the Sun. Astronomical units are usually used to measure distances within our Solar System. It is a system of measurement developed for use in astronomy. The astronomical system of units is a tri-dimensional system, in that it defines units of length, mass and time. Rather than saying the Sun is 93 million miles from the Earth, which is true, it is easier to say the Sun is one Astronomical Unit (AU) from the Earth. The distance from the Sun to the Earth is one (AU). When we talk about distances in the Solar System, it is convenient to use AUs. For all of you in 6th grade the concept is easy, pretty clear and simple. For others, say collegians they would need to define Astronomical Units as this: "From 1976 to 2012 the AU was defined as “the radius of an unperturbed circular Newtonian orbit about the Sun of a particle having infinitesimal mass, moving with a mean motion of 0.01720209895 radians per day (known as the Gaussian constant)” . Just saying, it could be worse... Let's try not to complicate things. Astronomical Units are an astronomical constant that helps Astro-Scientists do their math calculations easier when trying to measure space dimensions.
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Mrs. TaylorI love science! Everything about the world is interesting and never boring. I love to study plants, animals, insects, and people. My favorite subjects are my students who are the most unique organisms on the planet! Categories |