What is the Haversine formula?

The Haversine formula calculates the shortest distance between two points on a sphere given their latitudes and longitudes. It derives from the spherical law of cosines and is numerically stable for small distances, making it the standard choice for Earth-distance calculations.

How accurate is this calculator?

It uses Earth's mean radius of 6371 km, which gives accuracy within about 0.3% for most distances. For highly precise geodetic work (surveying, satellite positioning), the Vincenty formula over an oblate spheroid is more appropriate.

What coordinate format should I use?

Enter coordinates in decimal degrees. Latitude ranges from -90 (South Pole) to 90 (North Pole). Longitude ranges from -180 (West) to 180 (East). For example, New York City is 40.7128 N, -74.0060 W.

Why does it differ from road distance?

This tool calculates the great-circle distance — the shortest straight-line path over the curved Earth. Actual road or flight distances are longer because roads curve and flights avoid airspace restrictions.

Can I use degrees, minutes, seconds (DMS)?

This tool accepts decimal degrees only. To convert DMS (e.g. 40° 42' 46" N) to decimal, compute: degrees + minutes/60 + seconds/3600. For southern/western coordinates, the result is negative.

How do I implement the Haversine formula in Python?

Use math.radians to convert each coordinate, then: a = sin²(Δlat/2) + cos(lat1)·cos(lat2)·sin²(Δlon/2); c = 2·atan2(√a, √(1−a)); distance = 6371·c (km). The PyPI "haversine" package wraps this if you prefer a library.

Haversine Distance Calculator

Name: Haversine Distance Calculator
Availability: InStock
Author: Nham Vu

Calculate the great-circle distance between two geographic coordinates using the Haversine formula.

Coordinates

Point A

Latitude

Longitude

Point B

Latitude

Longitude

Quick Presets

Enter two coordinates and click Calculate.

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Summary

Calculate the great-circle distance between two geographic coordinates using the Haversine formula.

How it works

Enter the latitude and longitude for Point A in decimal degrees (e.g. 40.7128, -74.0060).
Enter the latitude and longitude for Point B in decimal degrees.
Click Calculate to apply the Haversine formula: a = sin²(Δlat/2) + cos(lat1)·cos(lat2)·sin²(Δlon/2).
The central angle c = 2·atan2(√a, √(1−a)) is multiplied by Earth's mean radius (6371 km).
Results are displayed in kilometers, miles, and nautical miles.
Use the city presets or paste coordinates directly from a map application.

Use cases

Calculate straight-line distance between two cities for travel planning.
Verify GPS distances in geospatial software development.
Understand spherical trigonometry in a hands-on, visual way.
Compute proximity between two points for logistics and delivery routing.
Check coverage radius for antennas, cell towers, or service zones.
Educational demonstrations of great-circle geometry in geography courses.
Cross-validate distances computed by mapping APIs.
Estimate fuel requirements for aviation or maritime routes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related tools

Great Circle Distance Calculator Bearing Calculator Vincenty Inverse Calculator Decimal To Dms Converter

Last updated: 2026-05-29 · Reviewed by Nham Vu