Orbit around a point of interest
Waypoints on a geodesic circle around a point, each with the heading toward the center and the gimbal pitch that keeps a target height centered, like the top of a tower.
Planning and education aid. Not for primary navigation. Full disclaimer
Experimental: not yet fully verified. How results are checked
Point the camera -21.8° and fly the 314.2 m circle.
| Latitude | Longitude | Heading | Gimbal pitch |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40.0004503 deg | -105.0000000 deg | 180.0 deg | -21.8 deg |
| 40.0003900 deg | -104.9997072 deg | 210.0 deg | -21.8 deg |
| 40.0002252 deg | -104.9994929 deg | 240.0 deg | -21.8 deg |
| 40.0000000 deg | -104.9994145 deg | 270.0 deg | -21.8 deg |
| 39.9997748 deg | -104.9994929 deg | 300.0 deg | -21.8 deg |
| 39.9996100 deg | -104.9997072 deg | 330.0 deg | -21.8 deg |
| 39.9995497 deg | -105.0000000 deg | 0.0 deg | -21.8 deg |
| 39.9996100 deg | -105.0002928 deg | 30.0 deg | -21.8 deg |
| 39.9997748 deg | -105.0005071 deg | 60.0 deg | -21.8 deg |
| 40.0000000 deg | -105.0005855 deg | 90.0 deg | -21.8 deg |
| 40.0002252 deg | -105.0005071 deg | 120.0 deg | -21.8 deg |
| 40.0003900 deg | -105.0002928 deg | 150.0 deg | -21.8 deg |
- Circumference
- Photo spacing
Provenance
- Computed by
- drone.mission.orbit 1.0.0, core 0.1.0
- Model
- Geodesic direct from the center at equal azimuth steps (Karney 2013); heading = reverse azimuth; pitch = −atan(Δh / r)
- Accuracy
- Exact geodesic positions; heights are relative to the center's ground level.
- Notes
- 1 shown with the answer
- Cites
- Karney, C. F. F., Journal of Geodesy, Algorithms for geodesics
Something look off?
How we got thisFormula, worked example, sources, and proof
Model: Geodesic direct from the center at equal azimuth steps (Karney 2013); heading = reverse azimuth; pitch = −atan(Δh / r)
Accuracy: Exact geodesic positions; heights are relative to the center's ground level.
Worked example: A 60 m tower, 50 m radius, flying at 80 m. Source: add-drone-suite orbit scenario: gimbal pitch -21.8° (atan(20/50)), heading toward the center.
You enter
- Flight height
- 80 m
- Center latitude
- 40 deg
- Center longitude
- -105 deg
- Photos
- 12
- Radius
- 50 m
- Target height
- 60 m
You get
- Gimbal pitch
- -21.8°
- Circumference
- 314.2 m
- Photo spacing
- 26.2 m
Review: Not yet independently reviewed by a Part 107 remote pilot.
Last verified: 2026-09-18, when a maintainer last confirmed this tool's sources at the issuer. See the sources ledger.
Status: version 1.0.0, core 0.1.0. See this tool in the verification report.
Checked against: 5 golden test vectors (download the test vectors, each with its source and tolerance). See how results are checked and every source.
Sources
- Algorithms for geodesics, Karney, C. F. F., Journal of Geodesy, Vol. 87, No. 1. pp. 43-55 (direct and inverse geodesic problems).
Experimental means this tool has not yet met the stable bar: at least 20 golden vectors, differential tests, and an independent worked example.