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The frame of a sextant is in the shape of a sector which is approximately 1 ⁄ 6 of a circle (60°), [2] hence its name (sextāns, sextantis is the Latin word for "one sixth"). "). Both smaller and larger instruments are (or were) in use: the octant, quintant (or pentant) and the (doubly reflecting) quadrant [3] span sectors of approximately 1 ⁄ 8 of a circle (45°), 1 ⁄ 5 of a circle (72 ...
The first known mural sextant was constructed in Ray, Iran, by Abu-Mahmud al-Khujandi in 994. [1] To measure the obliquity of the ecliptic, al-Khujandī invented a device that he called al-Fakhri sextant (al-suds al Fakhrī), a reference to his patron, Buwayhid ruler, Fakhr al Dawla (976–997).
Two years later, a specialised bubble sextant was designed for the service, which became a preferred tool for this form of navigation. [2] Typically, there would be a suspension arm mounted in the vicinity of the astrodome, upon which the sextant could be mounted via a swivel clip affixed to the top of the instrument. [3]
John Bird (1709– 31 March 1776) was a British mathematical instrument maker who was notable for inventing the sextant. [citation needed] He came to London in 1740 where he worked for Jonathan Sisson and George Graham. [1]
Sextans is a medium sized constellation bordering Leo to the north, touching on Hydra to the southwest, and Crater to the southeast. The recommended three-letter abbreviation for the constellation, as adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1922, is "Sex". [2]
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Gamma Sextantis, Latinized as γ Sextantis, is a binary star [12] system in the equatorial constellation of Sextans.The combined apparent visual magnitude of the system is 5.05, [2] which means it is faintly visible to the naked eye.
An equatorial sextant is a modified version of a sextant. One historically significant instrument called by that name was John Flamsteed 's equatorial sextant, installed in the Greenwich Observatory in 1676.