Coordinate Distance Calculator
Calculate the distance between two geographic coordinates using the Haversine formula, and determine the bearing between points for navigation purposes.
Calculate Your Coordinate Distance Calculator
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Ending Point
Understanding Coordinate Distance Calculations
Calculating the distance between two geographic coordinates is essential for navigation, travel planning, geospatial analysis, and many other applications. This calculator uses the Haversine formula to determine the great-circle distance between two points on the Earth's surface.
Geographic Coordinate Systems
Geographic coordinates pinpoint locations on the Earth's surface using latitude and longitude:
- Latitude measures distance north or south of the equator, ranging from -90° (South Pole) to 90° (North Pole).
- Longitude measures distance east or west of the Prime Meridian (Greenwich, London), ranging from -180° to 180°.
The Haversine Formula
The Haversine formula calculates the shortest distance between two points on a sphere (the Earth) using their latitudes and longitudes. It accounts for the Earth's curvature, making it more accurate than simple Euclidean distance for geographic calculations.
a = sin²(Δlat/2) + cos(lat1) × cos(lat2) × sin²(Δlon/2)
c = 2 × atan2(√a, √(1−a))
d = R × c
Where R is the Earth's radius (approximately 6,371 km)
Understanding Bearing
Bearing (or heading) is the compass direction from the starting point to the destination, expressed in degrees clockwise from North:
- 0° or 360° represents North
- 90° represents East
- 180° represents South
- 270° represents West
The initial bearing is the compass direction at the starting point. Note that for long distances, the bearing will change along the route due to the Earth's curvature.
Practical Applications
Navigation
Calculate distances between waypoints, estimate travel times, and determine headings for maritime and aerial navigation.
Travel Planning
Estimate distances between cities or landmarks to plan trips and understand travel requirements.
GIS Analysis
Perform spatial analyses by calculating distances between geographic features for research and planning.
Telecommunications
Plan wireless network coverage by determining distances between transmission towers or stations.
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Frequently Asked Questions
This calculator uses the Haversine formula, which calculates the great-circle distance between two points on a sphere. It's accurate for most practical purposes, with an error of approximately 0.3% because it assumes the Earth is a perfect sphere (which it isn't). For very precise measurements over long distances, more complex calculations that account for the Earth's ellipsoidal shape would be required, but the difference is negligible for most applications.
These are different units of distance measurement:
- Kilometer (km): The standard metric unit of distance, equal to 1,000 meters or about 0.621 miles.
- Mile (mi): The imperial/US customary unit of distance, equal to 5,280 feet, 1,760 yards, or about 1.609 kilometers.
- Nautical Mile (nm): Used in maritime and air navigation, equal to 1.852 kilometers or about 1.151 miles. One nautical mile is approximately one minute of latitude.
Bearing (or heading) tells you the direction from your starting point to your destination. It's particularly useful for navigation purposes, whether for hiking, sailing, flying, or any other form of travel where you need to know which direction to head. The bearing is typically expressed as an angle in degrees clockwise from North, where 0° is North, 90° is East, 180° is South, and 270° is West.
To convert from degrees/minutes/seconds (DMS) to decimal degrees (DD):
DD = Degrees + (Minutes/60) + (Seconds/3600)
To convert from decimal degrees to degrees/minutes/seconds:
- The degrees (°) are the whole number part of the decimal.
- Multiply the decimal part by 60 to get minutes.
- Multiply the decimal part of the minutes by 60 to get seconds.
For example, 40.7128° becomes 40° 42' 46".
This calculator supports the following formats:
- Decimal Degrees (DD): Simple decimal numbers, like 40.7128° N, -74.0060° W. Enter as 40.7128 for latitude and -74.0060 for longitude (negative values for South latitude and West longitude).
- Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (DMS): Traditional format with symbols, like 40° 42' 46" N, 74° 0' 21" W. Coming soon to the calculator.
Remember that latitude ranges from -90° to 90° (South to North) and longitude ranges from -180° to 180° (West to East).
No, this calculator is specifically calibrated for Earth, using its radius of approximately 6,371 kilometers. To calculate distances on other planets, you would need to adjust the formula to use the radius of that specific planet. For example, Mars has a radius of about 3,390 kilometers, so the calculated distances would be different even with the same coordinate separation.
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