What is a chain (US survey) unit?

It is a traditional length unit equal to 66 US survey feet, historically used in U.S. land surveying and divided into 100 links.

What does the astronomical unit represent?

The astronomical unit is defined as exactly 149,597,870,700 metres and represents an average distance from the Earth to the Sun.

When should I use this conversion?

Use it when you need to relate historical land survey distances to astronomical scales or for interdisciplinary scientific studies.

How to Convert from Chain (US survey) [ch] to Astronomical Unit [AU, UA]

Convert measurements from the US survey chain unit to the astronomical unit easily with this online length converter. Understand both units and their applications.

Chain (US survey) [ch]

Astronomical unit [AU, UA]

Please check your input. It must be a valid numeric value.

Chain (US survey) [ch] to Astronomical unit [AU, UA] Conversion Table

Chain (US survey) [ch]	Astronomical unit [AU, UA]

Custom Unit Conversion Table Generator – Instant Printable Conversion Tables

Start Value

Enter the starting number (positive decimal or integer ≥ 0). Example: 0.1, 1, 5.

End Value

Enter the ending number (positive decimal or integer > Start Value). Example: 10, 50, 100.

Interval

Enter the step size (positive decimal > 0 and < End Value – Start Value). Example: 1.0, 2.5.

Chain (US survey) [ch] to Astronomical unit [AU, UA] Conversion Table
Chain (US survey) [ch]	Astronomical unit [AU, UA]

Explore More Length Units Converter

What Is This Tool?

This tool enables users to convert lengths from chain (US survey), a traditional land surveying unit, into astronomical units used to express distances within the Solar System. It helps bridge measurements from terrestrial surveying to celestial scales.

How to Use This Tool?

Enter the value in chain (US survey) that you want to convert.
Select chain (US survey) as the input unit and astronomical unit as the output unit.
Click convert to see the equivalent distance in astronomical units.

Key Features

Converts chain (US survey) units to astronomical units accurately using defined conversion rates.
Browser-based and user-friendly interface for quick conversions.
Supports understanding of both historical land surveying units and astronomical distance scales.

Examples

10 chain (US survey) = 1.3447e-9 astronomical unit
100 chain (US survey) = 1.3447e-8 astronomical unit

Common Use Cases

Interpreting distances in historic U.S. land deeds and cadastral surveys.
Converting legacy land survey measurements for mapping or GIS integration.
Expressing terrestrial measurements in terms of space distances for scientific comparison.
Planning and analysis in planetary science and space mission design.

Tips & Best Practices

Double-check unit selections before converting values to avoid errors.
Use this tool when comparing land survey data with astronomical distance scales.
Apply the conversion mostly for educational or scientific contexts involving scale translation.

Limitations

Chain (US survey) is a small-scale terrestrial unit, whereas the astronomical unit covers vast cosmic distances.
Conversion results in very small decimal numbers which are rarely practical in everyday measurements.
This conversion is primarily relevant to specialized scientific or educational scenarios.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a chain (US survey) unit?: It is a traditional length unit equal to 66 US survey feet, historically used in U.S. land surveying and divided into 100 links.
What does the astronomical unit represent?: The astronomical unit is defined as exactly 149,597,870,700 metres and represents an average distance from the Earth to the Sun.
When should I use this conversion?: Use it when you need to relate historical land survey distances to astronomical scales or for interdisciplinary scientific studies.

Key Terminology

Chain (US survey): A traditional unit of length equal to 66 US survey feet, used historically in U.S. land surveying and subdivided into 100 links.
Astronomical Unit (AU, UA): A unit of length defined as exactly 149,597,870,700 metres, commonly used to express distances within the Solar System.
Gunter's Chain: Another name for the US survey chain, historically used in cadastral surveys.

Quick Knowledge Check

What is the approximate length of one chain (US survey)?

20.1168 metres

66 metres

149,597,870,700 metres

Which field primarily uses the astronomical unit?

Land surveying

Astronomy and space engineering

Medical measurements

Why is converting from chain (US survey) to astronomical unit uncommon?

They represent vastly different distance scales

The units are both small

They measure time intervals

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