Destination point calculator
Project a local spherical WGS84 destination from a coordinate, bearing and distance.
How it works & useful details
How it works & limits
Projects a point from a starting WGS84 coordinate, initial bearing and distance with a spherical Earth model. Kilometres, statute miles and nautical miles are converted locally.
The output is a great-circle destination, not a route. It does not account for terrain, airspace, currents, boundaries or the ellipsoidal Earth model.
Private local calculation
Coordinates and pasted data stay in this browser tab. These tools use no map tiles, geocoding, routing, elevation data or network requests.
About this tool
Destination point calculator projects a new coordinate from a starting point, a bearing, and a distance along the spherical WGS84 model. It answers the question "where do I end up if I travel this heading for this far".
The result includes the destination latitude and longitude and the reverse bearing back to the start. Calculation is local, with no map tiles or routing data involved.
How to use it
- Enter the starting coordinate.
- Set the bearing in degrees and the distance in your chosen unit.
- Calculate to get the destination coordinate.
- Check the reverse bearing for the return path.
Worked example
Starting in London (51.5074, −0.1278) and travelling 5,570 km along an initial bearing of 288° ends at 40.517061, −73.795002, just east of New York. The exact initial bearing to New York is 288.33°. That third of a degree moves the endpoint by roughly 30 km over this distance, which shows how quickly small heading errors grow.
Typical uses
- Plotting a point at a known range and bearing from a landmark, as in a search-area sketch or a radio direction-finding fix.
- Generating test coordinates at known distances for mapping or geofencing code.
- Estimating where a straight course would end before planning a proper route.
Distances can be entered in kilometres, statute miles, or nautical miles. One nautical mile is 1,852 m, originally one minute of latitude, which is why it is used at sea and in the air. The projection assumes a sphere with the WGS84 mean radius. The ellipsoidal shape of the Earth introduces differences of up to about 0.5%, which is fine for planning but not for surveying.
Frequently asked questions
Which Earth model is used?
A spherical approximation with the WGS84 mean radius. It is accurate for ordinary navigation distances but not for surveying.
Can distances be entered in kilometers or nautical miles?
Yes. Choose the unit before calculating so the result is projected correctly.
Does it account for terrain or roads?
No. It is a geometric projection; real travel paths depend on terrain and infrastructure.
Does the path follow the bearing all the way?
No. The bearing is the initial heading of a great-circle path. The heading changes along the way, except when travelling due north, due south, or along the equator.