Repro ID: D3830
Title: A sextant.
Description: The sextant was first made in the late 1850s by the London instrument maker John Bird, then one of the finest makers in the city. He was commissioned to produce an instrument similar to the octant with a wider field of measurement. Like the octant, the sextant enables the angular distance between two points to be measured, for instance the Sun and the horizon or two stars. This example was made by one of the great instrument makers of the 18th century, Jesse Ramsden. The sextant is usually made of brass and has a very open frame design to reduce weight and wind resistance when in use.
Creator: Jesse Ramsden
Date: c1785
Credit line: National Maritime Museum, London
