Latitude and longitude coordinates determine a location on Earth using degrees, minutes, and seconds. Latitude runs horizontally around the Earth, while longitude runs vertically and is measured from the prime meridian. Electronic instruments can calculate coordinates, but historically, navigators used instruments like the sextant and accurate watches to determine their position.
Latitude and longitude coordinates are determined by finding out where someone is on Earth in relation to the equator and prime meridian. Since the Earth is a sphere, positions can be measured accurately in degrees, using an angle centered at the Earth’s core. These coordinates are written in the formula of degrees, minutes, and seconds, with latitude measurements given before longitude measurements, like this: 38° 53′ 42.4″ N, 77° 2′ 12″ W. Fortunately for modern explorers, there are a number of electronic instruments that can automatically calculate latitude and longitude, saving people the effort of painstaking observations and calculations. Historically, the problem of finding one’s correct position was extremely important, and several great scientific minds have devoted a lot of time to this quest.
The lines of latitude run horizontally around the Earth in the form of circles that get progressively smaller as they get closer to the poles. A latitude coordinate is given in degrees of difference between the equator and someone’s current location. There are 60 nautical miles (111.12 km) between each degree of latitude and 90° latitude in either direction. For example, someone standing on the equator would be at 0°, while someone at the poles would be at 90° latitude.
By convention, people identify latitude measurements as being North or South, since a number like “22° latitude” has no meaning unless you know which hemisphere you intend the measurement to apply to. Some lines of latitude are named, such as the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Historically, people determined latitude with an instrument called a sextant, which could be used to calculate the degree of difference between the observer and the equator with incredible accuracy if used right.
Longitude is the degree of difference between an observer and the prime meridian, an arbitrary line which runs roughly through England. There was some historical dispute over the placement of the line, since it was generally thought to be a great honour. The lines of longitude approach each other as they reach the poles, so the distance between degrees actually varies. Longitude measurements never exceed 180°; someone who is 180° East is along the same line of longitude as someone who is 180° West, and instead of saying that one was “181° East”, “179° West” would be used.
Longitude measurements are determined by calculating the time difference between the observer and the prime meridian and using that difference to obtain a measurement in degrees, minutes and seconds. The time at the prime meridian is called Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), and most people have highly accurate watches that keep UTC and local time. Historically, the challenge of creating watches that can accurately track UTC has been a serious problem for navigators.
By determining the latitude and longitude of a person, it is possible to understand where he is on Earth. Highly accurate network of electronic devices with satellites to pinpoint locations to within inches (or centimeters). People can also do things the old-fashioned way with astronomical observations and highly accurate clocks, but most people prefer to leave the job to the electronic equipment, as a miscalculation can be embarrassing or in some cases cause a serious problem.
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