🧭 Bearing Calculator
Enter two coordinates to get the initial great-circle bearing between them, in degrees from true north and as a 16-point compass direction — the heading for navigation and geospatial routing.
📍 From Here, Which Way?
What is a Bearing Calculator?
It works out the direction from one point on Earth to another — the forward azimuth, measured clockwise from true north. Give it a start and destination in latitude and longitude and it returns the initial great-circle heading in degrees plus the nearest compass point.
Bearings drive navigation, antenna and solar aiming, line-of-sight studies, and directional queries in GIS. Remember it's referenced to true north, so apply local magnetic declination before steering by a physical compass.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What is an initial bearing (forward azimuth)?
It's the compass direction you would set off in to travel the shortest great-circle path from your start point to your destination, measured clockwise from true north (0°–360°). It's called the 'initial' bearing because on a long route the direction changes continuously as you follow the curve of the Earth.
Why doesn't the bearing stay constant along the route?
A great circle crosses each meridian at a different angle, so the compass heading drifts as you go. A path of constant bearing is a different line called a rhumb line (loxodrome), which looks straight on a Mercator map but is actually longer than the great circle. This tool reports the initial great-circle bearing.
Is this true north or magnetic north?
The result is relative to true (geographic) north, the same reference GIS and charts use. To steer by a magnetic compass you must apply the local magnetic declination (variation) for your area, which changes with location and slowly over time.
What do the compass labels like NNE or WSW mean?
They're the 16-point compass rose. The bearing in degrees is snapped to the nearest of 16 evenly spaced points (each 22.5° apart), so 0° is N, 90° is E, 180° is S, 270° is W, and the three-letter labels fall in between — a quick human-readable summary of the heading.