MODULE NO.
4 MODULE NAV 4
TITLE CELESTIAL NAVIGATION
A-II/1 F1.C1 KUP 1 Plan and conduct a passage and determine
COMPETENCE/S
position
CO1: Plot ships position using observation of (3) three stars during
twilight
COURSE OUTCOME
CO2: Determine compass error by observation of sun’s amplitude
KNOWLEDGE A-II/1 F1.C1.KUP6.2 Ability to use celestial bodies to determine
UNDERSTANDING position
PROFICIENCY
LEARNING OUTCOME LO1.4 Determine the different parts of marine sextant
TOPIC Parts of the Marine Sextant
LESSON PRESENTATION & ACTIVITIES
[a] Why did this happen?
[b] What else should I figure out about this?
I. Terms and Definitions
1. Frame: It is the backbone of Sextant to which all the other parts are connected with.
2. Graduated Arc/Scale: It is an arc which represents the scale reading from 0° to 120°( In
actual it is above 120° and below 0° upto -5°).
3. Index Bar/Arm: It is a movable bar on which Index mirror is fitted.
4. Handle: By this one can hold the Sextant.
5. Telescope: It is fitted on the frame through which one can observe the target body.
6. Clamp: By the help of Clamp one can move the index arm. Clamp should be pressed to
move the index arm and once it is released index arm will lock in it’s position.
7. Micrometer Drum/Adjustment: It is used to measure minutes and seconds because by
index arm one can only measure degrees.
8. Index Mirror: It is mounted on the index arm. The purpose of index mirror is to reflect
the observed object on to the horizon glass.
9. Horizon Glass and Mirror: It is a single piece in which half of the part is of glass
through which we can see clearly and the other half of the part is of mirror. it is used to
direct the reflected image form the index mirror to observer’s eyes. Hence it mounted
directly in the line of sight of the telescope.
10. Shade Glass: These are movable glass placed in front of index mirror and horizon
glass. It allows observer to observe bright objects like sun and reduce the flare for low
altitude sights.
There's nothing mystical or complicated about a sextant. All it is is a device that measures
the angle between two objects.
The sextant makes use of two mirrors. With this sextant, one of the mirrors
( mirror A in the diagram) is half-silvered, which allows some light to pass through. In
navigating, you look at the horizon through this mirror.
The other mirror (mirror B in the diagram) is attached to a movable arm. Light from an
object, let's say the sun, reflects off this mirror. The arm can be moved to a position where
the sun's reflection off the mirror also reflects off mirror A and through the eyepiece. What
you see when this happens is one object (the sun) superimposed on the other (the
horizon). The angle between the two objects is then read off the scale.
What makes a sextant so useful in navigation is its accuracy. It can measure an
angle with precision to the nearest ten seconds. A degree is divided into 60 minutes;
a minute is divided into 60 seconds.
[1] What new information have I learned from the activities?
[2] What surprised me about what I learned?
.
Check module 5 Correct Usage of Sextant
References (APA)
[Link]
[Link]
David Burke