Convert Nanometer (nm) to Megaparsec (Mpc) instantly.
About these units
Nanometer (nm)
A nanometer—one billionth of a meter (10⁻⁹ m)—is central to nanoscience, nanotechnology, and molecular biology. Many structures essential to life fall into this scale: DNA's double helix is about 2 nm wide, viruses often measure tens to hundreds of nanometers, and key cell structures like ribosomes are on the order of 20–30 nm. In engineering, nanometers define the dimensions of modern semiconductor technology. Silicon transistors have shrunk to features only a few nanometers wide, approaching the physical limits of electron behavior in solid-state materials. In optics, wavelengths of ultraviolet light can be expressed in nanometers, as can surface roughness, material grain sizes, and thin-film coatings. The nanometer is ubiquitous across modern science because it describes both biological and technological structures at the frontier of research.
Megaparsec (Mpc)
A megaparsec is equal to one million parsecs, making it one of the principal units for describing intergalactic distances and the scale of the observable universe. Astronomers use Mpc to measure the distances between galaxies, galaxy groups, and galaxy clusters, as well as to express the scale of cosmic structures like the cosmic web. Megaparsecs are also central to cosmology because the Hubble constant — which describes the rate of cosmic expansion — is measured in units of kilometers per second per megaparsec. Thus, the Mpc sits at the heart of research on dark energy, large-scale structure formation, and the Big Bang. While hardly intuitive for everyday understanding, the megaparsec offers unmatched practicality for professional astronomy. It simplifies equations and visualization of the universe at the grandest scales.