Exercise:
Alderney, in the Channel
Islands, has longitude 2°W, latitude 50°N.
Winnipeg, in
Canada, has longitude 97°W, latitude 50°N.
How far apart
are they, in nautical miles, along a parallel of latitude?
Distance along a parallel of
latitude is (difference in longitude) x cos(latitude)
= (97°
- 2°) cos(50°) = 61.06°
But 1° = 60 nautical miles.
So the distance is 61.06 x 60 = 3663 nautical miles.
Back to "The Terrestrial Sphere".