What is Sextant?
[[File:Sextant.jpg|thumb|220px|A sextant]] A '''sextant''' is an object used for [[navigation]] which measures angles. The user is able to measure the angle between the horizon and an object in the sky, such as the sun, a star, or a planet. It originally could measure angles up to 60°, which was one sixth of a circle.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.credoreference.com/entry/conscitech/sextant |title=Sextant from |first= |last= |work=McGraw-Hill Concise Encyclopedia of Science and Technology |year=2006 |quote= |accessdate=16 June 2011}}</ref> This is how it got its name from the [[Latin]] word ''sextus'' (six). It helps work out positions of [[latitude]] and [[longitude]]. ==References== {{reflist}} {{-}} {{tech-stub}} [[Category:Navigation tools]] [[Category:Sailing]]