Marine Sixtant

Marine Sixtant

Description:

Marine sextant is a navigational tool used to determine the angle between two objects, typically the horizon and a celestial body such as the sun, moon, or stars. It is an essential tool for celestial navigation and has been used by sailors and navigators for centuries. The basic design of a marine sextant consists of a mainframe with two telescopes, one fixed and one adjustable, and a graduated arc with a vernier scale. The navigator uses the sextant to measure the angle between the horizon and the celestial body, by aligning the two telescopes with the objects in question. To use the sextant, the navigator first adjusts the adjustable telescope until the image of the celestial body is visible in the field of view. They then look through the fixed telescope to locate the horizon and adjust the sextant until the horizon and celestial body are aligned. The angle is then read from the graduated arc and vernier scale. The marine sextant is used primarily for celestial navigation, which is the art of using celestial bodies to determine the ship's position on the earth's surface. By measuring the angle between a celestial body and the horizon at a specific time, the navigator can calculate the ship's latitude and longitude. While modern navigation technology such as GPS has largely replaced traditional celestial navigation, the marine sextant remains an important tool for backup and emergency navigation in case of equipment failure or other navigational challenges. It is also still used by some navigators for its historical and traditional significance.

Functions:

1、Measure the height of the celestial body to find the position of the ship.

2、It is used to measure two horizontal angles between three targets with known positions on the ground.

3、It is used to measure the vertical Angle of the target with known height to find the distance.

Main technical data:

Picture of marine sextant: