SextantNavigation
In the event of an emergency when you lose your navigational electronics it would be useful to know how to navigate using a sextant.
Tools
- Sextant
- Mechanical clock set to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
- Mechanical clock set to local time
- Celestial Sight Reduction Tables for Marine Navigation tables
Latitude
To determine latitude:
- Point the sextant at the horizon
- Look through the tekescope
- Adjust the index mirror with the index bar until the Sun aligns with the horizon
- Read the angle from the arc
- Note the exact time
- Consult a celestial table to calculate the latitude
Longitude
To determine longitude:
- Note the precise time of noon GMT
- Know the local noon time
- If local noon is before GMT noon you asre on eastern logitutde
- If local noon is after GMT noon you asre on western logitutde
Each difference of 4 minutes = 1 degree longitude