Ever wonder why the Sun sometimes appears to the north of your location even though the sub solar point https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subsolar_point is at a lower latitude from your location? One must remember that the initial direction is just that; initial. A straight line on the globe follows a great circle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_circle . Unless that great circle follows a line of longitude or the Equator, the path direction along each point of that great circle changes. Great circles are basically the same as https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_inclination where if you keep going it bounces between a northern and southern latitude line.
4.9 mega meter distance example
Cabo San Lucas: +22.9 lat -109.9 lon
Honolulu: +21.3lat -157.8lon
A straight line path from Cabo has an initial heading of 277.6 deg (7.6 deg north of west) even though Honolulu is at a lower latitude (1.6 deg lower.) The great circle path will actually reach up to +24.0 deg latitude along the way.
13.0 mega meter distance example
Cabo San Lucas: +22.9 lat -109.9 lon
Manila: +14.6 lat +121.0 long
A straight line path from Cabo has an initial heading of 302.0 deg (32 deg north of west) even though Manila is at a lower latitude (8.3 deg lower.) The great circle path will actually reach up to +38.6 deg latitude along the way.
20 mega meters is halfway around the Earth.
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