great circle route - A course that is the shortest distance between two points, following a great circle.
great circle route
The shortest route between two distant points on the globe. This rhumb line is shown as a straight line on a globe or on a gnomic projection chart, but on a Mercator projection chart it is a curve.
Gnomonic Projection - A chart with Longitude lines that are straight while Latitude lines are curved so that the shortest distance between any two points is a straight line. This straight line becomes a “Great Circle Route' on a Mercator Chart ...
When drawn on a Mercator chart, the rhumb line is a straight line. However the Mercator chart is a distortion of a round globe on a flat surface, so the rhumb line will be a longer course than a great circle route.
 See also: Navigation, Point, Rail, Heads, Light
  
|
RSS
