Sextant - Wikipedia
A sextant is a doubly reflecting navigation instrument that measures the angular distance between two visible objects. The primary use of a sextant is to measure the angle between an astronomical object …
How Sextants Work: An Illustrated Guide – Casual Navigation
A sextant is a navigational instrument that measures the angle between two objects. It uses a pair of mirrors to overlay one object over the other. The angle between the objects is proportional to the …
A Comprehensive Guide to Marine Sextant
Jan 29, 2024 · A sextant is a marine navigation instrument used to measure the angle between two objects. Learn everything about Sextants in this article.
Sextant | Navigation, Celestial Measurement & Astronomy | Britannica
sextant, instrument for determining the angle between the horizon and a celestial body such as the Sun, the Moon, or a star, used in celestial navigation to determine latitude and longitude.
What Does the Sextant Do
A sextant is a handheld optical tool that helps you find your position at sea by measuring the angle between the horizon and a celestial body, usually the Sun or a bright star.
3 Ways to Use a Sextant - wikiHow
Oct 8, 2025 · A sextant is an old navigational tool that measures elevation using angular distances. You can use a sextant to determine the altitude in the sky of the sun, moon, or other celestial bodies …
SEXTANT Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
The meaning of SEXTANT is an instrument for measuring angular distances used especially in navigation to observe altitudes of celestial bodies (as in ascertaining latitude and longitude).
What is Sextant, its types, principle and errors - MarineGyaan
Apr 29, 2025 · Sextant is one of the oldest navigation instruments used by mariners, its called sextant because its arc is 1/6th of a circle i.e. 60° but it can measure angles upto 120° using double …
Build a Simple Sextant (teacher’s version) Background: A sextant is a tool for measuring the angular altitude of a star above the horizon. Primarily, they have been used for navigation. However, the …
Sextant (astronomy) - Wikipedia
In astronomy, sextants are devices depicting a sixth of a circle, used primarily for measuring the position of stars. There are two types of astronomical sextants, mural instruments and frame-based instruments.