In navigation, horizontal angle between the direction of an object and another object

Bearing (angle)

Bearing (angle)

In <a href="/en/Navigation" title="Navigation" class="wl">navigation</a>, bearing or azimuth is the <a href="/en/Horizontal_and_vertical" title="Horizontal and vertical" class="mw-redirect wl">horizontal</a> <a href="/en/Angle" title="Angle" class="wl">angle</a> between the direction of an object and <a href="/en/North" title="North" class="wl">north</a> or another object. The angle value can be specified in various <a href="/en/Angular_units" title="Angular units" class="mw-redirect wl">angular units</a>, such as <a href="/en/Degree_(angle)" title="Degree (angle)" class="wl">degrees</a>, <a href="/en/Angular_mil" title="Angular mil" class="mw-redirect wl">mils</a>, or <a href="/en/Grad_(angle)" title="Grad (angle)" class="mw-redirect wl">grad</a>. More specifically:
<ul><li><a href="#Absolute" target="_blank">Absolute bearing</a> refers to the clockwise angle between the <a href="/en/North_magnetic_pole" title="North magnetic pole" class="wl">magnetic north</a> (magnetic bearing) or true <a href="/en/North" title="North" class="wl">north</a> (true bearing) and an object. For example, an object to due <a href="/en/East" title="East" class="wl">east</a> would have an absolute bearing of 90 <a href="/en/Degree_(angle)" title="Degree (angle)" class="wl">degrees</a>. Thus, it is the same as <a href="/en/Azimuth" title="Azimuth" class="wl">azimuth</a>.<a href="#cite_note-U.S._Army,_1941_pp._24-25-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;">[1]</a></li>
<li><a href="#Relative" target="_blank">Relative bearing</a> refers to the angle between the craft's forward direction (<a href="/en/Heading_(navigation)" title="Heading (navigation)" class="wl">heading</a>) and the location of another object. For example, an object relative bearing of 0 degrees would be immediately in front; an object relative bearing 180 degrees would be behind.<a href="#cite_note-2" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 2;">[2]</a> Bearings can be measured in <a href="/en/Angular_mil" title="Angular mil" class="mw-redirect wl">mils</a>, points, or degrees. Thus, it is the same as an azimuth difference (modulo +/- 360 degrees).</li></ul>

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">In navigation, horizontal angle between the direction of an object and another object</div>
<figure class="mw-default-size wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Brunton.JPG" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Brunton.JPG"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e1/Brunton.JPG/290px-Brunton.JPG" decoding="async" data-file-width="3648" data-file-height="2593" data-file-type="bitmap" height="206" width="290" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e1/Brunton.JPG/435px-Brunton.JPG 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e1/Brunton.JPG/580px-Brunton.JPG 2x" alt="Brunton.JPG"></a><figcaption>A standard <a href="/en/Brunton_compass" title="Brunton compass" class="wl">Brunton compass</a>, used commonly by <a href="/en/Geology" title="Geology" class="wl">geologists</a> and <a href="/en/Surveying" title="Surveying" class="wl">surveyors</a> to obtain a bearing in the field</figcaption></figure>

Alternatively, the <a href="/en/US_Army" title="US Army" class="mw-redirect wl">US Army</a> defines the bearing from point A to point B as the smallest angle between the <a href="/en/Ray_(geometry)" title="Ray (geometry)" class="mw-redirect wl">ray</a> AB and either north <em about="#mwt11" typeof="mw:Transclusion" data-mw="{&quot;parts&quot;:[{&quot;template&quot;:{&quot;target&quot;:{&quot;wt&quot;:&quot;em&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;./Template:Em&quot;},&quot;params&quot;:{&quot;1&quot;:{&quot;wt&quot;:&quot;or&quot;}},&quot;i&quot;:0}}]}">or south, whichever is closest. The bearing is expressed in terms of 2 characters and 1 number: first, the character is either N or S; next is the angle numerical value; third, the character representing the <a href="/en/Perpendicular" title="Perpendicular" class="wl">perpendicular</a> direction, either E or W. The bearing angle value will always be less than 90 degrees.<a href="#cite_note-U.S._Army,_1941_pp._24-25-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;">[1]</a> For example, if Point B is located exactly southeast of Point A, the bearing from Point A to Point B is "S 45° E".<a href="#cite_note-U.S._Army_1956_pp._69-70-3" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 3;">[3]</a> 
For example, if the bearing between Point A and Point B is S 45° E, the azimuth between Point A and Point B is 135°.<a href="#cite_note-U.S._Army,_1941_pp._24-25-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;">[1]</a><a href="#cite_note-U.S._Army_1956_pp._69-70-3" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 3;">[3]</a> 
<figure class="mw-default-size wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Azimuths_and_bearings.png" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Azimuths_and_bearings.png"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Azimuths_and_bearings.png/220px-Azimuths_and_bearings.png" decoding="async" data-file-width="1265" data-file-height="1188" data-file-type="bitmap" height="207" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Azimuths_and_bearings.png/330px-Azimuths_and_bearings.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Azimuths_and_bearings.png/440px-Azimuths_and_bearings.png 2x" alt="Azimuths_and_bearings.png"></a><figcaption>Azimuths and bearings.</figcaption></figure>

In navigation, bearing or azimuth is the horizontal angle between the direction of an object and north or another object.  The angle value can be specified in various angular units, such as degrees, mils, or grad. More specifically: Alternatively, the US Army defines the bearing from point A to point B as the smallest angle between the ray AB and either north or south, whichever is closest. The bearing is expressed in terms of 2 characters and 1 number: first, the character is either N or S; next is the angle numerical value; third, the character representing the perpendicular direction, either E or W. The bearing angle value will always be less than 90 degrees. 