true bearing
North-referenced compass heading
True bearing is a navigational direction measured as an angle from true north—the direction toward the geographic North Pole rather than magnetic north.
Navigators and pilots use true bearings when working with maps and charts, which are oriented to true north: The lighthouse bore 045° true.
Compare with magnetic bearing, which references the compass needle.
- headingDirectional course traveled
- azimuthHorizontal directional angle
- great circleMaximum spherical circumference
- compassDevice showing cardinal directions
- compass roseCartographic direction indicator
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