A sextant is a navigational instrument that sailors use to measure the angle between the horizon and a celestial object like the sun or a star. By measuring this angle precisely, sailors can calculate their latitude (how far north or south they are) and, with more complex calculations, their longitude (how far east or west they are).

Before GPS and electronic navigation, the sextant was essential for ocean voyages. A sailor would look through the sextant's telescope at the horizon, then adjust a movable arm until they could see both the horizon and the sun (or a star) at the same time. The angle between them, combined with the exact time and special tables, revealed the ship's position.

Navigators still learn to use sextants today as a backup to electronic systems. Using a sextant requires skill, steady hands, and careful mathematics, but it connects modern sailors to centuries of maritime tradition. When you use a sextant successfully, you're finding your place on Earth using the same stars and sun that guided explorers across uncharted oceans hundreds of years ago.