The term for the direction from one terrestrial object to another is which?

• A. Heading
• B. Range
• C. Course
• D. Bearing

Answer: (D)

Bearing is the direction from your location to another point or object, usually expressed as degrees measured clockwise from a reference north (true, magnetic, or grid). This is how you specify where something lies relative to you, not where you’re pointing or where you’re traveling.

Think of standing on the shore and looking toward a lighthouse: the bearing tells you the compass direction to that lighthouse from your position, such as 030 degrees true, which would be northeast. This helps you plot a line on a chart from your position to the object.

This differs from heading, which is the direction the vessel or object is pointing; from course, which is the path you intend to follow; and from range, which is the distance between two points. Bearings are about direction from one point to another, not orientation or distance.