Portcities UK

reflecting our cultures

[HOME]
[Bypass: Search Facilities ]
      Advanced Search

Maritime Partnership

Full Graphics | About this Site | Legal & Copyright

...discover the Maritime Histories of UK Port Cities



PortCities sites: Bristol | Hartlepool | Liverpool | London | Southampton

Back to A dangerous business


2 of 5 Pictures < Previous Picture
| Next Picture >
A sextant.

© National Maritime Museum, London

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

< Previous Picture
| Next Picture >
Top |  Partner Sites: