BYTETOOLS

Bearing Calculator

Calculate the initial and final bearing between two latitude/longitude points, with compass direction, quadrant bearing and great-circle distance.

From (point A)

To (point B)

51.21°
Initial bearing (NE)
108.33°
Final bearing (ESE)
288.33°
Reverse B→A (WNW)
5,570.2
Distance (km)
Quadrant bearing N 51.2° E. The bearing changes along a great circle, so it arrives at point B as 108.33°.

Summary

Initial bearing: 51.21° (NE, N 51.2° E)
Final bearing:   108.33° (ESE)
Reverse bearing: 288.33° (WNW)
Distance:        5,570.2 km / 3,461.2 mi / 3,007.7 NM

What is the Bearing Calculator?

This bearing calculator works out the heading from one latitude/longitude point to another along the great circle.

  • Initial, final and reverse bearings from one pair of coordinates
  • Degrees, 16-point compass direction and quadrant (surveyor) bearing
  • Great-circle distance in kilometres, miles and nautical miles
  • Accepts decimal degrees or DMS input such as 51°28'40"N
  • Live results with clear range validation (±90° / ±180°)
  • 100% client-side — coordinates never leave your browser

How to use the Bearing Calculator

  1. 1

    Enter the latitude and longitude of your starting point (point A).

  2. 2

    Enter the latitude and longitude of your destination (point B).

  3. 3

    Read the initial bearing in degrees along with its compass point and quadrant bearing.

  4. 4

    Check the final bearing to see the heading you arrive on, then copy the summary.

About the Bearing Calculator

This bearing calculator works out the heading from one latitude/longitude point to another along the great circle. It reports the initial bearing you would steer at the start, the final bearing you arrive on, and the reverse bearing back to your origin — each in degrees, as a 16-point compass direction, and as a surveyor's quadrant bearing such as N 51.2° E.

It is built for pilots and sailors plotting legs, hikers taking a compass heading off a map, antenna installers aiming a dish, surveyors reading a plat, and developers checking their own bearing code against a known-good implementation. Coordinates can be typed as decimal degrees or pasted straight in as DMS, so 40°26'46"N works exactly like 40.4461.

Every calculation runs in your browser with plain JavaScript — no coordinates are uploaded, logged or stored. That makes it safe for confidential site pairs, and it means the tool keeps working offline once the page has loaded.

Frequently asked questions

How do you calculate the bearing between two coordinates?

Convert both points to radians, then take atan2(sin Δλ · cos φ₂, cos φ₁ · sin φ₂ − sin φ₁ · cos φ₂ · cos Δλ) and normalise the result to 0–360°. That gives the initial bearing along the great circle. This tool does the arithmetic as soon as both points are valid.

What is the difference between initial bearing and final bearing?

A great circle is not a straight line on a Mercator map, so your compass heading drifts as you travel. The initial bearing is the heading at the departure point and the final bearing is the heading as you arrive. On a long east-west leg the two can differ by tens of degrees.

Is a bearing the same as an azimuth?

In practice yes — both are angles measured clockwise from north, from 0° to 360°. Surveyors sometimes reserve "bearing" for the quadrant form like S 40° W and use "azimuth" for the full-circle form, which is why this tool shows both.

Is this a true bearing or a magnetic bearing?

It is a true bearing, measured from geographic north. To steer it on a magnetic compass you must apply the local magnetic declination, which varies by location and drifts over time — check a current declination model for your area before navigating.

Why is the reverse bearing not just my bearing plus 180?

That shortcut only holds on a flat map. On a sphere the great circle curves relative to the meridians, so the bearing from B back to A is the final bearing plus 180°, not the initial bearing plus 180°. This calculator shows the correct reverse value.

Are my coordinates sent anywhere?

No. The trigonometry runs entirely in your browser and nothing is transmitted or stored. You can safely calculate headings between confidential sites, and the page keeps working with no connection at all.

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