This display sextant is approximately 4" wide and includes a brass accented, nautical wooden box. The box is about 3" high and 4.5" square. The sextant has a handle, mirror, colored light filters, telescope and moveable radial arm. This is a new item made to look like an antique. Some imperfections are likely.
The sextant was initially used to aid ship navigation in the late 1700s. The sextant is designed to determine the angle between any two visible objects. Determination of altitude, or the angle between a heavenly body and the horizon, is the primary function of the sextant. Calculating a position line on a nautical or aeronautical chart can be performed using the angle and time that it was measured with the sextant.
