Sextant. Travel Tips

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Sextant. Travel Tips

Tourist tips

Sextant, sextant (from Latin sextans, sextantis - sixth) - a navigational measuring tool used to measure the height of the star above the horizon in order to determine the geographical coordinates of the area in which the measurement is made. For example, by measuring the height of the Sun at astronomical noon, knowing the date of measurement, you can calculate the latitude of the area.

Strictly speaking, the sextant allows you to accurately measure the angle between two directions. Knowing the height of the lighthouse (from the map), you can find out the distance to it by measuring the angle between the direction to the base of the lighthouse and the direction to the top and making a simple calculation. It is also possible to measure the horizontal angle (that is, in the horizon plane) between directions to different objects.

The image in the sextant combines two types. The first is the view of the sky through the mirrors. The second is a view of the horizon. The sextant is used by adjusting the lever and the set screw until the lower edge of the image of the sun touches the horizon. The exact point in time at which the measurement is taken is recorded by an assistant with a clock. The elevation angle is then read from the scale, vernier and set screw, and recorded along with the time.

After that, you need to transform the data using some mathematical procedures. The simplest method is to draw an equally elevated circle of the astronomical object in use on the globe. The intersection of this circle with a dead reckoning line or other marker gives the exact position.

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