The sextants development was a vital part in the evolution of navigation technology. Centuries after its conception, the sextant continues to be a valued tool to traditional navigators. However, the introduction of the sextant required an evolutionary process of its own. The sextant was made to evolve slowly due to the many innovations that had to come before it. However, new innovations come along and make the old obsolete. As such, sextants are viewed rather primitively in relation to the GPS, though traditional travellers prefer the analog nature of the sextant.

Sextants weren't always around, however. And long before the invention of the first sextant, navigators relied on Polaris to chart their journey to home port. The Arabs in particular were proficient in using this technique. To aid them, the Arabs used what is known as a "Kamal". This Kamal made use of a dumpy rope and an instrument positioning Polaris at the top, and placing the horizon at the bottom. The navigator would then tie a knot in the rope to align the two (Polaris and the horizon) to get his bearings. The return home from a voyage prompted the navigators to adjust their sailing path to bring them back to the position in which they measured Polaris and the horizon.

The Arabs introduced the Europeans to two vital navigational aids that would help in the creation of the sextant. The two instruments in question were the astrolabe and the quadrant. The astrolabe was a revolutionary sea travelling device as it could retain its position in relation to the fickle conditions that betray our senses at sea. Because of this, the astrolabe saw over 200 years of use. The astrolabe used a circular scale and rotatable alidade with sighting pinnules. The altitude of the celestial object is then gauged by viewing through the sighting pinnules and using the alidade.

The quadrant was the other instrument that the Arabs introduced. The quadrant was used to great extent by the Portuguese in particular. Explorers such as the renowned Christopher Columbus used the quadrant to mark off points of Polaris altitude similar to the Arab way of tying knots in the Kamal. The quadrant was used similar to the Kamal, by marking off Polaris and recording the alturas (latitude). These alturas would eventually become published, allowing other sailors to travel around the coasts of Europe and Africa more easily.

The necessity for a navigational instrument of accurate value arose as explorers began taking to treacherously uncharted seas. There had to be a large amount of leg work done first before a sextant could be used properly. For one, an almanac that detailed the location of stars and other points had to be accounted for at every hour of every day for several years. Not to mention that there had to be something that could accurately measure time. This device was called a chronometer. Cartographers were essential to plotting and charting maps so that longitude and latitude could be found and marked by the observer. A simple mathematical formula to transform the relation of the celestial body and the horizon with the navigator's position would also be needed. With all of these key components filled, the sextant was the final piece in the navigational puzzle. Find out more about the latest nautical gifts here.

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