rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryparsecAstronomical distance unit
noun

parsec

PAR-sek/pˈɑrsˌɛk/

A unit of astronomical distance equal to about 3.26 light-years.

Astronomers measure the distance to this star in parsecs.

A compact astronomical parallax construction connects a recognizable Sun–Earth orbital baseline to a distant star, showing a parsec as a measured interstellar distance rather than an unexplained gap between stars.
Etymology
parEnglishapparent positional shift
+secEnglishunit of angular measure

Parallax and second define the unit: a parsec is the distance at which an object has an annual parallax of one second of arc. This corresponds to about 3.26 light-years.

In context

Badzilla1:49
the observed object so a parsec is a unit used to measure the distance to a far star
Whats Is a Parsec? (Explained)

More examples

  • One parsec equals about 3.26 light-years.
  • The star cluster lies hundreds of parsecs from Earth.
  • The telescope detects a galaxy millions of parsecs away.

Forms

parsec · parsecs

Similar words

light-year
Measures astronomical distance in units about one-third as long.
astronomical unit
Uses Earth's average distance from the sun, a much smaller unit.