sextant n a unit of angular distance equal to 60 degrees n a measuring instrument for measuring the angular distance between celestial objects; resembles an octant Usage(s) In 1939 he perfected his sextant. The great Yankee skipper Joshua Slocum used only the simplest of navigational instrumentsa compass, a sextant and his famous "dollar clock"when he sailed his 37-ft. Every navigator loves his sextant.
News & Articles sextant Professor fools $80M superyacht’s GPS receiver on the high seas Todd Humphreys says defenses are scant: "nobody knows how to use a sextant." July 30, 2013 - Ars Technica