NavList:

   

Reply

Are the legs on that side to make it easer to do horizontal angles? Add to
that if the handle were on the opposite side as now, the arm would have to
be in the back between the legs. Otherwise the handle would have to span the
entire front to avoid interfering with the arm. This would add weight to the
sextant.
All the best;
Robert Gainer


>From: Alexandre Eremenko 
>Reply-To: Navigation Mailing List 
>To: NAVIGATION-L@LISTSERV.WEBKAHUNA.COM
>Subject: Re: Why is a sextant like it is?
>Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 00:09:48 -0500
>
>I think the explanation of the unchanged shape of
>sextant over the centuries is simple: it is extreme
>conservatism of mariners:-)
>Why do we still use this terrible Babylonian hexadecimal system
>for measuring angles?
>Alex.
>
>P.S.
>The general layout of the Hadley quadrant was just copied.
>Maybe Headley himself was left-handed, who knows.
>But why the legs are on the right (that is wrong!) side, seems
>to have no rational explanation at all:-)

_________________________________________________________________
Is your PC infected? Get a FREE online computer virus scan from McAfee�
Security. http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963

   

Reply