Azimuth

Compass direction from an azimuth and back, back azimuth, true azimuth from magnetic, azimuth between two points.

What to find:

the direction from an azimuth

the azimuth of a direction

the true azimuth from a magnetic one

the azimuth from one point to another

An azimuth is the angle measured clockwise from north to the direction of an object, from 0 to 360°. Coordinates in degrees: 55.75, 55°45′, 55 45 21, 55°45′ N; southern latitude and western longitude with a minus sign or the letters S / W.

Test yourself

The azimuth calculator finds the compass direction from an azimuth and the azimuth of a direction, the back azimuth, converts a magnetic azimuth to a true one using magnetic declination and finds the azimuth from one point to another by coordinates.

Azimuth and compass points

An azimuth is the angle between north and the direction to an object, measured clockwise from 0° to 360°: north is 0°, east 90°, south 180°, west 270°. The horizon is divided into 16 compass points of 22.5°: N, NNE, NE, ENE, E and so on.

The back azimuth differs by 180°. A quadrant bearing is the acute angle from north or south, for example S 45° E for an azimuth of 135°.

Magnetic declination

A_true = A_mag + δ

A compass needle points to the magnetic pole, not the geographic one. The angle between them is the magnetic declination δ: east declination is positive, west is negative.

Example. Magnetic azimuth 80°, declination 11° east: true azimuth 80° + 11° = 91° — almost due east.