Why do astronomers frequently use the Solar Mass ($ ext{M}_{igodot}$) as a standard unit for mass?
Answer
To avoid writing out thirty zeros associated with the kilogram mass of the Sun.
The Sun's mass in kilograms involves a factor of $10^{30}$; using the Solar Mass ($ ext{M}_{igodot}$) avoids impractical numbers when discussing the mass of stars or black holes.
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