Destination Point from Bearing Calculator

About this calculator

Given a starting coordinate, an initial compass bearing, and a distance to travel, this is the classic forward geodesic (direct) problem in navigation: finding where you end up on a curved Earth. The calculator uses the great-circle destination formula derived from spherical trigonometry — φ₂ = asin(sin φ₁·cos δ + cos φ₁·sin δ·cos θ) for the destination latitude, and a corresponding formula for longitude — where δ is the angular distance traveled (distance ÷ Earth's radius) and θ is the bearing.

This calculator takes a start latitude/longitude, a bearing, and a distance and returns the resulting destination coordinate. Mariners and pilots use this to plot a position after holding a given heading and speed for a known time, and search-and-rescue planners and surveyors use the same great-circle math to project search areas or lay out coordinates from a known reference point and bearing.