While you can certainly navigate a boat or ship using modern sonar, depth finders and radar, there are many pieces of equipment that can help you sail the seas and yet require no electricity. While many of these navigational instruments were invented hundreds of years earlier, they are still used today, albeit production quality has improved and the designs are sometimes a bit more complicated.
The alidade is an interesting piece of navigational equipment. This instrument is used to locate distant objects. Once you have found the object, you use the line of site to perhaps measure the angle of the object from another specific point of reference. These instruments have been used for centuries to help create oceanic and land maps. Foresters and firefighters use alidades to pinpoint the location of a fire in a vast forest.
A three-arm protector is another tool that is useful for navigational purposes. This type of protractor can be used to find the position of a boat or ship on a navigational map, which is why the protractor is generally transparent to allow easy viewing of the map. The central portion of the three-arm protractor is fixed in place, while the two other arms can move around. The first three-arm protractors were designed in the early 1800s and are still commonly used by sailors today.
Of course, there are several different kinds of compasses that are still used on today's ships and vessels. A high quality compass is a vital piece of equipment, particularly handy if your watercraft loses power. So, if you were ever stranded in the middle of the ocean, having a good surveyor's compass will be a helpful tool.
One important instrument, which dates back to the early 18th Century, is the sextant. This amazing piece of equipment measures angles between objects, typically two celestial bodies. You can find a ship's longitude by measuring the distance between the moon and another celestial body, such as a plant or perhaps a star and then calculating Greenwich Mean Time. While early sextants were fairly accurate, today's top quality sextants will provide accuracy better than 10 seconds of arc.
There are also special binocular systems available that mount to the deck of a boat or ship and provide the ability to view distant objects at particularly high levels of magnification. The system includes the binocular assembly, the carriage assembly that allows the binocular to move freely and the pedestal that attaches to the ship itself.
The alidade is an interesting piece of navigational equipment. This instrument is used to locate distant objects. Once you have found the object, you use the line of site to perhaps measure the angle of the object from another specific point of reference. These instruments have been used for centuries to help create oceanic and land maps. Foresters and firefighters use alidades to pinpoint the location of a fire in a vast forest.
A three-arm protector is another tool that is useful for navigational purposes. This type of protractor can be used to find the position of a boat or ship on a navigational map, which is why the protractor is generally transparent to allow easy viewing of the map. The central portion of the three-arm protractor is fixed in place, while the two other arms can move around. The first three-arm protractors were designed in the early 1800s and are still commonly used by sailors today.
Of course, there are several different kinds of compasses that are still used on today's ships and vessels. A high quality compass is a vital piece of equipment, particularly handy if your watercraft loses power. So, if you were ever stranded in the middle of the ocean, having a good surveyor's compass will be a helpful tool.
One important instrument, which dates back to the early 18th Century, is the sextant. This amazing piece of equipment measures angles between objects, typically two celestial bodies. You can find a ship's longitude by measuring the distance between the moon and another celestial body, such as a plant or perhaps a star and then calculating Greenwich Mean Time. While early sextants were fairly accurate, today's top quality sextants will provide accuracy better than 10 seconds of arc.
There are also special binocular systems available that mount to the deck of a boat or ship and provide the ability to view distant objects at particularly high levels of magnification. The system includes the binocular assembly, the carriage assembly that allows the binocular to move freely and the pedestal that attaches to the ship itself.
About the Author:
Carey Bourdier likes blogging reviews on precision scientific instruments. To get more info regarding surveying instruments like a compass tripod, or to find other navigation instruments, check out WarrenKnight.com today.
