Astronomy is the science of the celestial objects and their phenomena that perhaps has been one of the most ancient sciences arresting human imagination since time unknown. From navigating across vast expansions of ocean to charting star positions, the development of astronomical instruments such as the sextant, quadrant, and telescope connected us with the skies above. They have been the starting points in our quest to reach out toward the unknown, between the vastness of the universe and the innate desire to explore.
The Quintessential Quadrant
Let’s begin our journey through time with one of those pivotal instruments in early astronomy: the quadrant. The earliest quadrants date back to medieval times and they were used primarily for measuring the altitude of a star or the sun.
Navigators and astronomers would align the alidade with the celestial body and where the arm pointed on the scale provided critical data with which to determine their position or the time of day. It speaks volumes to the stress a lone navigator would be under relying upon such a tool to guide a ship through uncharted waters.
The Sophisticated Sextant
Another derivative, the sextant was even more sophisticated. It evolved out of the astrolabe and octant in the 18th century. This highly accurate instrument measures the angular distance between two visible objects. Its name, from Latin “sextans,” meaning “one-sixth,” refers to the sixth of a circle that comprises the frame of the instrument.
It became the favourite instrument of most sailors as it helped them to correctly determine their position by measuring the angle between the horizon and a celestial object-usually the sun or a star. The emotional charm of the sextant bases itself on being associated with solitary voyages when it was a trusted companion in tides of loneliness and vastness that delivered the mariner to faraway shores. It was more than an antique scientific tool, representing hope and direction; it played a very important part in the Age of Discovery when the explorers were mapping out new lands and extending our maps of the world.
The Transformative Telescope
No discussion of astronomical instruments is complete without mentioning the antique telescope. A tool that literally changed our perception of space. Telescopes were invented in the early 17th century and perfected thereafter.
But the power of the telescope lay in its bringing distant celestial bodies closer to the sight of astronomers. The telescope revealed craters on the moon, rings of Saturn, and later, sprawling galaxies across the universe. In essence it democratised space. The telescope turned the night sky into a canvas of knowledge and beauty that exists for anyone with the curiosity to look up and explore.
Celestial Navigation
The roles these instruments played in celestial navigation were as practical as they could be poetic. They were instruments of survival while guiding navigators across the abyss of waters. Every reading that was made with a quadrant, every sighting with a sextant, and a glimpse into the view of a telescope was another step toward the understanding of our universe and our place inside it.
They remind us of our abiding desire to make the unknown known, to find our place in the world and beyond. They symbolise a quintessential human attribute: the relentless drive for knowledge.