Degrees to Arcseconds Converter

The formula is: arcseconds = degrees × 3,600 (60 arcminutes × 60 arcseconds). Negative angles convert the same way, since the sign only shows direction.

Worked example: 0.25° × 3,600 = 900″.

For very small angles, the Trigonometric Functions Calculator shows how sine and tangent behave, and the Scientific Calculator keeps the extra decimal places a precise conversion needs.

There are 3,600 arcseconds in one degree and 1,296,000 in a full circle (360 × 3,600). The unit is tiny: an arcsecond is to a degree what a second is to an hour.

Arcseconds in Astronomy

Astronomers use arcseconds for positions on star charts, such as declination, and for apparent sizes and separations that are far too small to describe neatly in degrees. Right ascension is the exception: it is measured in hours, minutes, and seconds of time rather than of arc.

Common angles in degrees and their arcsecond equivalents:

Star catalogs, surveying, and geodesy work at arcsecond precision, so a small decimal angle is often converted to arcseconds to judge whether a difference matters. On the ground, the nautical mile was originally defined as one arcminute of latitude, and a minute of latitude is about 1,843 meters at the equator and 1,862 meters at the poles. Dividing by 60, one arcsecond of latitude is roughly 31 meters (30.7 to 31.0 meters).

The Sector Area Calculator turns an angle and a radius into an arc length, the Rotation Calculator rotates a point by an angle in degrees, and the Coterminal Angle Calculator brings any angle back into the 0° to 360° range.

Every converter in the angle family, starting with the reverse of this one:

• Arcseconds to Degrees Converter: divide arcseconds by 3,600
• Degrees to Radians Converter: multiply by π/180
• Degrees to Arcminutes Converter: 1° = 60 arcminutes
• Decimal Degrees to DMS Calculator: turn 30.51° into 30° 30′ 36″, with N/S/E/W
• Angle Converter: every angle unit at once, including gradians, turns, and milliradians