Sextant

[MarkB_MI]

I've always wanted to own a sextant. Not because I actually need one; I just thought it would be a cool thing to have. Last week that thought came back when I decided our Florida condo really needs a sextant hanging on the wall. So I started shopping, and it turns out you can buy all sorts of sextants on eBay.

There are plenty of fake brass sextants for less than fifty bucks. In fact, even Harbor Freight sold them at one time. But they're clearly fakes and I wanted something that at least looks real. Now all the real sextants cost several hundred or even several thousand dollars. But for $110 bucks I bought this aluminum sextant, shipping included. At first glance it looks like the real thing, but of course on closer inspection it's clearly a fake. I'm quite certain it was not made by the Tamaya company, and it certainly wasn't made in Japan. It was probably made in India, since it was shipped FedEx from Bangalore.

A few things about it I'll note: The handle is marked "SEXTANT" in large letters, which helps me distinguish it from other sextant-shaped objects in my junk drawer. On the front side it says "Tamaya Sextant", even though real six thousand dollar Tamaya sextants just say "Tamaya". It has a micrometer just like a real Tamaya sextant, so it should be accurate down to a minute of angle. (Every yachtsman knows that a minute of latitude is exactly equal to one nautical mile.) However, it lacks the vernier scale necessary to get down to a tenth of a minute (i.e. a tenth of a NM). There are a number of filters which are used to shoot the sun. Will they keep you from going blind? Who knows. (Back in the days, navy navigators were all blind in one eye from shooting the sun.) One of these days I'll take it out and give it a try.

The last pic shows the sextant hanging on the wall of our condo.

 

[john in la]

I find it harder to find latitude from the sun or moon because they are constantly moving around.
Using the North Star is easier because it is basically at the top of the earth. So the angle of the North Star above the horizon is your latitude.
This doesn’t work in the southern hemisphere because there is no South Star and you can’t see the North Star.

Finding longitude with a time piece is a little more complicated.

 

[MarkB_MI]

I find it harder to find latitude from the sun or moon because they are constantly moving around.
Using the North Star is easier because it is basically at the top of the earth. So the angle of the North Star above the horizon is your latitude.

Plus you won't go blind looking at stars.

 

[da.bees]

I don't know how old sailors were able to make heads or tails while ship rolled with waves.

 

[GChief]

Nice, haven't used one since 2004ish

 

[Hemmjo]

This is a good read. Forward by Neil Armstrong, the astronaut

 

[showcrop]

You see a lot of what appear to be old brass sextants on the walls of nautically themed restaurants. I once read a book about the discovery of longitude. Prior to that there were many shipwrecks on the west coast of Australia.

 

[MarkB_MI]

This is a good read. Forward by Neil Armstrong, the astronaut

Looks interesting. I know a bit about the story of the marine chronometer, but not the details. I'll check it out.

I recently read The Sea Captain's Wife, which probably piqued my interest in celestial navigation. It's the true story of a 19 year-old woman who, when her husband was incapacitated, took command of his clipper ship and navigated it around Cape Horn.

Right now I'm reading The Secret Life of the Universe, which discusses a slightly different celestial topic: The search for extraterrestrial life.

 

[MarkB_MI]

You see a lot of what appear to be old brass sextants on the walls of nautically themed restaurants. I once read a book about the discovery of longitude. Prior to that there were many shipwrecks on the west coast of Australia.

Well, they knew about longitude, but before the invention of an accurate chronometer they had no good way to determine it. Ironically, it's possible to determine longitude just by celestial observations without the use of a chronometer, but nobody figured it out until long after the chronometer was invented.

 

[Hemmjo]

Well, they knew about longitude, but before the invention of an accurate chronometer they had no good way to determine it. Ironically, it's possible to determine longitude just by celestial observations without the use of a chronometer, but nobody figured it out until long after the chronometer was invented.

The chronometer was necessary for then to discover that celestial would work. It totally fascinates he how they figured out things like that so long ago!!!!

We are "standing on the shoulders" of a lot of really smart people!!

 

[Jim in LA]

I've always wanted to own a sextant. Not because I actually need one; I just thought it would be a cool thing to have. Last week that thought came back when I decided our Florida condo really needs a sextant hanging on the wall. So I started shopping, and it turns out you can buy all sorts of sextants on eBay.

There are plenty of fake brass sextants for less than fifty bucks. In fact, even Harbor Freight sold them at one time. But they're clearly fakes and I wanted something that at least looks real. Now all the real sextants cost several hundred or even several thousand dollars. But for $110 bucks I bought this aluminum sextant, shipping included. At first glance it looks like the real thing, but of course on closer inspection it's clearly a fake. I'm quite certain it was not made by the Tamaya company, and it certainly wasn't made in Japan. It was probably made in India, since it was shipped FedEx from Bangalore.

A few things about it I'll note: The handle is marked "SEXTANT" in large letters, which helps me distinguish it from other sextant-shaped objects in my junk drawer. On the front side it says "Tamaya Sextant", even though real six thousand dollar Tamaya sextants just say "Tamaya". It has a micrometer just like a real Tamaya sextant, so it should be accurate down to a minute of angle. (Every yachtsman knows that a minute of latitude is exactly equal to one nautical mile.) However, it lacks the vernier scale necessary to get down to a tenth of a minute (i.e. a tenth of a NM). There are a number of filters which are used to shoot the sun. Will they keep you from going blind? Who knows. (Back in the days, navy navigators were all blind in one eye from shooting the sun.) One of these days I'll take it out and give it a try.

The last pic shows the sextant hanging on the wall of our condo.
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When I was in 2nd grad a classmate brought hid Dad’s sextant to show and tell. It was the neatest thing. The teacher explained how it was used to navigate by the stars. We played with it at recess and it didn’t get broke.

 

[showcrop]

Well, they knew about longitude, but before the invention of an accurate chronometer they had no good way to determine it. Ironically, it's possible to determine longitude just by celestial observations without the use of a chronometer, but nobody figured it out until long after the chronometer was invented.

I am not a keyboarder.

 

[SleepyFarmall]

I once read instructions for using a sextant; no way I could figure it out in real life. Simply mystifying to me.

 

[Butch(OH)]

Id keep it in the car in case the map screen quits

 

[GChief]

Id keep it in the car in case the map screen quits

That's what a phone is for

 

[Tony in SD]

Mark, Your post has rekindled my desire to buy a working sextant. I wanted one when I was a grade school kid soon after we learned about them in school but I didn’t have the money. I guess I was kind of a nerd back then, maybe I still am. But I’ve always gravitated toward unusual things, especially tools that few people had or understood how to use.

 

[GChief]

Mark, Your post has rekindled my desire to buy a working sextant. I wanted one when I was a grade school kid soon after we learned about them in school but I didn’t have the money. I guess I was kind of a nerd back then, maybe I still am. But I’ve always gravitated toward unusual things, especially tools that few people had or understood how to use.

I learned how to use one when I was qualifying as underway OOD (Officer of the Deck). It was great fun (for my geek/nerd self), I often used one to fight off boredom while steaming from point A to B. That said it's been almost 25 yrs, so I am sure there is rust to knock off of my brain cell.

 

[John T]

Years ago at Purdue an engineering professor brought one to class all I remember is it was beautiful and likely not as expensive back then. Good luck finding good looking original units, best wishes........

John T Proud of the USA no ifs ands or buts

 

[Dober_paw]

Takes me back to late 60’s - no GPS - so a daily requirement to stand on bridge wing at twilight and shoot a star or planet or two - record angle and time (to the second) - then into the bridge to do the maths (paper & pencil) using Nautical Almanac and reduction tables - to give a line on the chart - one line per star and where they intersect there you be. Hopefully they still teach this ‘cos GPS can lie or be turned off. I guess the paper,,pencil and almanacs have been replaced by a cell phone app.

 

[Hemmjo]

LOTS of people are going to be totally lost WHEN the satellites are knocked out.