Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
58.12 |
Object Name |
Sextant |
Title |
Sextant |
Artist |
Stancliffe, Benjamin |
Place of Origin |
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
Date |
before 1850 |
Description |
Brass sextant marked "Stancliffe, Maker, Philadelphia." 8" radius. Scaled 0-155, in 1/2 degrees. There are two interchangeable telescopic sights, and the micrometer is read with a microscope. The instrument is boxed and has a leather carrying case. (Robert P. Multhauf, "Catalogue of Instruments and Models," 1961). |
Label |
Made in Philadelphia, this elegant sextant could have been used by a navigator to determine a ship's location at sea, by a surveyor to set property lines, or by an astronomer to chart the positions of stars and planets. Used to measure the angle between the horizon and a celestial body, the sextant helped solve one of the greatest technical problems of navigation: determining latitude and longitude. Such portable, hand-held instruments were essential tools for explorers, who could not transport or maintain the large, delicate apparatus used in land-based observatories. |
Material |
Brass |
Dimensions |
H-9.75 W-11.5 D-4.5 inches |
Dimension Details |
Short tube: 2.938 (length) Long tube: 6.438 (length) |
Credit line |
American Philosophical Society. Gift of William Lowber, 1850. |
Search Terms |
19th century nineteenth century surveying navigation measurement scientific instrument |