A sextant is a handheld metal tool shaped like one-sixth of a circle. It measures the angle between two distant objects—most often the horizon and the sun, moon, or stars—to help people find out exactly where they are on Earth.
Sailors still pack a sextant on long ocean trips as a backup if GPS fails. They hold it up to the sky, line up the horizon and a star in its mirror, and read the angle to plot their position on a paper chart. Even hobby sailors and explorers practice with it to stay sharp, and some navigation classes use it for hands-on lessons.
Meaning & Usage Examples
“He pulled the sextant from the locker and took a noon sight of the sun.”
“During our sailing course, each student learned to swing the sextant and mark the angle on the worksheet.”
Common Context
You’ll see the word in books about sea voyages, in survival manuals, and on small boats that keep traditional navigation alive. It’s not an everyday household item, but anyone who spends time offshore or studies classic navigation knows what it is and how to use it.
Is a sextant hard to use?
With a short lesson and a steady hand, most people can learn the basics in a day.
Do modern ships still carry a sextant?
Many captains keep one as a reliable backup in case all electronics go down.
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