Sextants For Decoration And More The sextant detailed a great step in the history of navigation. Even in the modern day the sextant manages to cling to life as a navigational aid. In the very beginning the sextant was rather unrefined. The sextant was made to evolve slowly due to the many innovations that had to come before it. In spite of this, even the sextant would meet its match against modern day navigation technologies. As such,
sextants are viewed rather primitively in relation to the GPS, though traditional travellers prefer the analog nature of the sextant.
Sextants weren't always around, however. Way before the first sextant was invented, sailors learned how to use Polaris to travel back and from home port. Arabs were among the first people to master this technique. To aid them, the Arabs used what is known as a "Kamal". The Kamal used a short rope and an object that placed Polaris and the horizon on the top and bottom respectively. In the rope, the navigator tied a knot that aligned the distance between Polaris and horizon. The knot which showed the relation of Polaris to the horizon was used for the sailors to find their way back to their original port.
The Arabs introduced the Europeans to two vital navigational aids that would help in the creation of the sextant. Among the two important instruments were the astrolabe and the quadrant. The astrolabe was useful against the erratic conditions at sea. The astrolabe remained in use for over 200 years because of its incredible accuracy and reliability. The astrolabe works by using a scale and alidade with sighting pinnules. The altitude of the celestial object is then gauged by viewing through the sighting pinnules and using the alidade.
The second of the two instruments that foreshadowed the sextant was the quadrant. The quadrant was used to great extent by the Portuguese in particular. A little known man by the name of Christopher Columbus enlisted the help of the quadrant to navigate the ocean easier. The alturas (latitude) of a port was marked off using the quadrant similar to the way the Arabs used the Kamal. The publishing of the alturas gave sailors a guide to travelling the coasts of Europe and Africa.
The necessity for a navigational instrument of accurate value arose as explorers began taking to treacherously uncharted seas. There had to be a large amount of leg work done first before a sextant could be used properly. For one, an almanac that detailed the location of stars and other points had to be accounted for at every hour of every day for several years. Furthermore, there was the need for an accurate time-keeping device. The latter was called a chronometer. The plotting and charting of maps was done by a cartographer. There would also have to be a formula that equated the relation of a celestial object, horizon, and navigator's position. With these things in place the sextant would be the final key in locating an accurate position of one's ship on the globe. Find out more about the latest
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