Editing Sphere (section)

===Loxodrome===
{{Main|Rhumb line}}
[[File:Loxodrome.png|thumb|upright=0.5|Loxodrome]]

In [[navigation]], a ''loxodrome'' or ''rhumb line'' is a path whose [[bearing (navigation)|bearing]], the angle between its tangent and due North, is constant. Loxodromes project to straight lines under the [[Mercator projection]]. Two special cases are the [[meridian (geography)|meridians]] which are aligned directly North–South and [[circle of latitude|parallels]] which are aligned directly East–West. For any other bearing, a loxodrome spirals infinitely around each pole. For the Earth modeled as a sphere, or for a general sphere given a [[spherical coordinate system]], such a loxodrome is a kind of [[spherical spiral]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Loxodrome.html | title=Loxodrome }}</ref>