Tag Archives: Navigation

Colonial Surveyor – Determining your Position using Celestial Navigation

A sextant is an intimidating complex instrument.  It consists of an A-shaped frame with an apex of 60° on a sextant or 45° on an octant.  Along the rounded lower edge of the frame is an arc, the limb, that is marked with numbers for the degree of the angles that the sextant can measure. An index …

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Vector Computations without the Benefit of Modern Trigonometry

Navigating from point to point is a relatively simple task for most surveyors or mariners.  You establish a compass bearing from where you are to your intended location then measure out the distance (or in the case of sailing a speed and a time) to the new location giving what we call today a vector.  …

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