AN ALL-WEATHER RADIO SEXTANT

D. O. McCoy

Peer Reviewed

Abstract:	About two hundred years ago, the sea-going navigator was introduced to a new instrument called the marine sextant. This was a very miraculous little instrument that weighed but a few pounds. The navigator could carry it in his hand and by walking out on the deck and spending a few moments of his time, he could obtain a fix on the position of his vessel to within a few miles. While for many years the mariners had used the stars to help them navigate their ships, this was the first optical instrument devised which injected any precision into the use of stars for navigation. Since that time many conveniences have been added for the celestial navigator in using this sextant. Charts, tables, simplified calculating processes and evolutionary improvement to the sextant itself have all aided the marine navigator and the aircraft navigator, too, in applying the principles of astronomv to assist him in navirzating his vehicle. The’art of celestial navigatizn hc become one of the most fundamental and reliable of all global navigation methods.
Published in:	NAVIGATION: Journal of the Institute of Navigation, Volume 4, Number 8
Pages:	309 - 319
Cite this article:	McCoy, D. O., "AN ALL-WEATHER RADIO SEXTANT", NAVIGATION: Journal of The Institute of Navigation, Vol. 4, No. 8, 1955, pp. 309-319.
Full Paper:	ION Members/Non-Members: 1 Download Credit Sign In