Solar radius is a unit of distance used to express the size of stars in astronomy equal to the current radius of the Sun:
The solar radius is approximately 695,500 kilometres (432,450 miles) or about 110 times the radius of the Earth, or 10 times the average radius of Jupiter. It varies slightly from pole to equator due to its rotation, which induces an oblateness of order 10 parts per million. See 1 gigametre for similar distances.
The SOHO spacecraft was used to measure the diameter of the Sun by timing transits of Mercury across the surface during 2003 and 2006. The result was a measured radius of 696,342 ± 65 kilometres (432,687 ± 40 miles).
Famous quotes containing the word solar:
“Our civilization has decided ... that determining the guilt or innocence of men is a thing too important to be trusted to trained men.... When it wants a library catalogued, or the solar system discovered, or any trifle of that kind, it uses up its specialists. But when it wishes anything done which is really serious, it collects twelve of the ordinary men standing round. The same thing was done, if I remember right, by the Founder of Christianity.”
—Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936)