Miles to Degrees Calculator

How to Use This Calculator

1. Enter the distance in miles that you want to convert to degrees.
2. Optionally, enter the Earth radius in miles. The default value is 3,959 miles (average Earth radius).
3. Click the "Calculate" button to perform the conversion.
4. The result will be displayed in degrees, minutes, and seconds format.

Working Principle

This calculator converts a linear distance on Earth's surface to an angular distance in degrees. The formula used is:

Degrees = (Miles / Earth Radius) × 360°

This formula works because Earth is approximately spherical. One degree of longitude (or latitude) at the equator represents about 111 kilometers (69 miles), so the angular distance can be calculated by dividing the distance by Earth's radius and then multiplying by 360 (the number of degrees in a circle).

Example

For example, if you travel 100 miles along a line of longitude, the angular distance in degrees would be:

Degrees = (100 miles / 3,959 miles) × 360° ≈ 9.11°

This would be displayed as 9°6'36" (9 degrees, 6 minutes, and 36 seconds).

Applications

This calculator is useful for:

• Navigation and mapping
• Astronomy calculations
• Geographic information systems (GIS)
• Understanding Earth's curvature effects