Yard to Astronomical Unit Converter

A yard is a unit of length in the imperial and US customary systems equal to 3 feet or 36 inches, approximately 0.914 meters. It is commonly used for measuring medium distances.

The yard's origin is uncertain, but it may have been based on the length of a man's belt or the distance from the nose to the fingertip of an outstretched arm. It was standardized in England during the 12th century and has remained relatively consistent since then.

Yards are commonly used in the United States for measuring fabric, carpeting, landscaping materials, and in American football (field dimensions). They're also used in some construction and real estate contexts, particularly for property measurements.

An astronomical unit (AU) is a unit of length approximately equal to the average distance from Earth to the Sun, defined as exactly 149,597,870.7 kilometers or about 93 million miles.

The astronomical unit was originally defined as the semi-major axis of Earth's orbit around the Sun. It was first estimated by Giovanni Cassini in 1672 and has been refined over centuries. In 2012, the International Astronomical Union redefined it as an exact value rather than a measured quantity.

Astronomical units are primarily used for measuring distances within the solar system, including distances between planets, asteroids, and comets. They're standard in planetary science, space mission planning, and solar system astronomy.