Solar mass

The solar mass (M_☉) is a frequently used unit of mass in astronomy, equal to approximately 2×10 kg. It is approximately equal to the mass of the Sun. It is often used to indicate the masses of other stars, as well as stellar clusters, nebulae, galaxies and black holes. More precisely, the mass of the Sun is as follows:

nominal solar mass

M ☉ = 1.988 416 \times 10 kg

or a best estimate of

M ☉ = (1.988 475 \pm 0.000 092) \times 10 kg

.

The solar mass is about 333000 times the mass of Earth (M_🜨), or 1047 times the mass of Jupiter (M_J).