Parsec (noun)

A unit of measurement of distance used in astronomy, equal to about 3.26 light-years (3.086 x 10^16 meters).

Origin:

From the phrase "parallax second" meaning "the distance at which one astronomical unit subtends an angle of one second of arc".

Examples:

1. The nearest star to our solar system, Proxima Centauri, is about 1.3 parsecs away.
2. The star cluster NGC 6397 is located about 2.6 parsecs from Earth.
3. The galaxy Andromeda is located about 2.5 million parsecs away from Earth.
4. A parsec is used to measure large distances in space, specifically, astronomical distances.
5. The measurement of parsecs is used to determine the distance between stars and galaxies.