What is Bearing Calculator?

Enter two coordinates and it works out the compass bearing (azimuth) from the first to the second, plus the great-circle distance between them. You get the initial bearing, final bearing, and back bearing in degrees, each with its compass point. The same numbers are used for navigation, aviation, hiking, and aiming an antenna.

Bearings run clockwise from north, so 0 degrees is due north and 270 is west. Enter a local magnetic declination and the true bearing is converted into what a handheld compass will actually read. The midpoint of the route is worked out too, and the distance appears in kilometres, miles and nautical miles at once.

How to use

1. Enter the start point's latitude and longitude, then the destination's coordinates.
2. Read the initial bearing, final bearing, and back bearing in degrees plus compass points like NNE.
3. Check the great-circle distance in kilometers, miles, and nautical miles, and copy any value.

When to use

• Aiming a satellite dish or directional antenna at a distant station.
• Setting the heading for a hiking leg before you leave the trailhead.
• Checking a flight plan leg against the azimuth printed on the chart.

Result

A ham radio operator aligning a directional antenna from Riyadh (24.7136, 46.6753) toward London (51.5074, -0.1278) gets an initial bearing of about 320° NW and a distance of 4,930 km.

FAQ

Why is the final bearing different from the initial bearing?

A great-circle route curves relative to the meridians, and the meridians themselves converge toward the poles. On a long leg the angle to north keeps changing, so the arrival heading can sit tens of degrees away from the departure heading.

What number should go in the magnetic declination field for my area?

The local difference between true north and magnetic north, east counted positive. NOAA and most national geological surveys publish it by coordinate. Leave it empty and you get true bearings, which is what charts use.

Is the back bearing the same as the heading for the return trip?

Only on short legs. The back bearing just reverses the initial bearing by 180 degrees. Over a long great-circle route the real return heading is the opposite of the final bearing, and the two numbers separate as distance grows.

If I hold this bearing on a compass, will I arrive at the destination?

Not over long distances. Holding one constant angle traces a rhumb line, which is longer than the great circle and drifts off target. Navigators reset the heading at intervals, recalculating from each new position.

Why is this distance shorter than what my driving app reports?

The great-circle figure measures the shortest path across the surface, with no allowance for roads, terrain or airspace. A road route between the same two points usually comes out 15 to 40 percent longer.

Related Tools