Shipatlas Sea Route Calculator

Distance Formula:

\[ Distance = \arccos(\sin(lat1) \times \sin(lat2) + \cos(lat1) \times \cos(lat2) \times \cos(lon2-lon1)) \times 3440 \]

Latitude 1:

degrees

Longitude 1:

degrees

Latitude 2:

degrees

Longitude 2:

degrees

Distance:

Unit Converter ▲

Unit Converter ▼

From:	To:

1. What is the Shipatlas Sea Route Distance?

The Shipatlas Sea Route Distance calculates the great-circle distance between two points on the Earth's surface (measured along the surface of the sphere) in nautical miles. This is the shortest distance between two points over water.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the spherical law of cosines formula:

\[ Distance = \arccos(\sin(lat1) \times \sin(lat2) + \cos(lat1) \times \cos(lat2) \times \cos(lon2-lon1)) \times 3440 \]

Where:

\( lat1, lat2 \) — Latitude coordinates in degrees
\( lon1, lon2 \) — Longitude coordinates in degrees
3440 — Conversion factor to nautical miles (approximate radius of Earth in nautical miles)

Explanation: The formula calculates the central angle between two points and converts it to distance using Earth's radius.

3. Importance of Sea Route Calculation

Details: Accurate sea route distance calculation is crucial for voyage planning, fuel estimation, and ETA calculations in maritime navigation.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter coordinates in decimal degrees (positive for North/East, negative for South/West). For example, 40.7128° N, 74.0060° W would be entered as 40.7128, -74.0060.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: How accurate is this calculation?
A: The calculation assumes a perfect sphere and gives approximate results. For precise navigation, more complex ellipsoidal models are used.

Q2: What's the difference between nautical miles and statute miles?
A: 1 nautical mile = 1.15078 statute miles = 1.852 kilometers. Nautical miles are based on Earth's circumference.

Q3: Can I use this for air distance as well?
A: Yes, this calculates great-circle distance which applies to both sea and air routes.

Q4: What's the maximum possible distance?
A: The maximum great-circle distance is about 12,450 nautical miles (half Earth's circumference).

Q5: Why 3440 for Earth's radius?
A: Earth's mean radius is approximately 3440 nautical miles (6,371 km converted to nautical miles).