Space · Nominal photospheric reference · idealized sphere
Sun diameter and size comparison
The Sun uses a nominal diameter of 1,391,400 kilometers, twice the IAU’s nominal solar radius. This is an exact conventional conversion value, not a claim that the changing Sun has been measured to that exact diameter.
1391400000 m
Nominal reference- Measurement
- Nominal solar diameter · IAU 2015 convention
- Subject or version
- Nominal photospheric reference · idealized sphere
- In kilometers
- 1,391,400 km (1 km = 1,000 m)
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A little more perspective
IAU Resolution B3 defines the nominal radius as 695,700,000 meters and distinguishes nominal conversion constants from estimates of actual solar properties. The illustration ends at a photosphere-like disk; the corona and prominences are excluded.
The nominal radius is doubled without adding observational precision. Planetary spacing in the scene is chosen for readability and carries no orbital-distance meaning.
Quick facts
The Sun uses a nominal diameter of 1,391,400 kilometers, twice the IAU’s nominal solar radius. This is an exact conventional conversion value, not a claim that the changing Sun has been measured to that exact diameter.
For a presentation or a research note, include the subject, the measurement definition, and the measurement used. A picture alone cannot explain those choices. The comparison guide explains how to export an image and its source notes together.
Sources and measurement notes
Source review recorded . Maintained by Ishan Karunaratne. Suggest a correction with a source and the exact measurement being compared.