EASA NAV(A)intermediate
Explain how latitude and longitude differences are used to estimate distance.
Answer
A difference of one degree of latitude is approximately 60 NM. For longitude, the distance per degree is approximately 60 cos(latitude) NM, so longitude spacing decreases toward the poles. At the equator, one degree of longitude is about 60 NM.
Explanation
Latitude lines are separated by approximately 60 NM per degree, so north–south distance can be estimated by multiplying latitude difference in degrees by 60. Longitude lines converge toward the poles; east–west distance per degree is approximately $60\cos(\phi)$ NM. **Key takeaway:** Latitude spacing is nearly constant; longitude spacing depends on latitude.\n\n**Glossary:** **Latitude**: angular distance north or south of the equator; **longitude**: angular distance east or west of Greenwich.
Related Questions
- What distance corresponds to one degree of latitude along any meridian?(basic)
- What is the distance between 150°E and 151°E along the equator?(basic)
- What is the difference in latitude between A (12°53′30″N) and B (07°34′30″S)?(basic)
- At approximately which latitudes are the Earth's two polar circles—the Arctic Circle and the Antarctic Circle—located?(basic)
- At latitudes other than the equator, one degree of longitude spans less distance than one degree of longitude at the equator.(basic)
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