Dekaparsec

/ˈdɛkəˌpɑrsɛk/ noun

Definition

An astronomical unit of distance equal to ten parsecs, used to measure distances to nearby stars.

Etymology

From 'deka-' (ten) and 'parsec' (parallax arcsecond), a unit created in 1913 for measuring interstellar distances. This combines the metric prefix with astronomical terminology.

Kelly Says

A dekaparsec is about 32.6 light-years—far enough to reach some of our nearest stellar neighbors, and it's the scale at which galaxies start to matter more than individual stars.

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