Sextant and artificial horizon

Title

Sextant and artificial horizon

Subject

Astronomy
Navigation
Surveying
Measuring instruments

Description

Wood, metal, glass

Metal black frame with wood handle and silver scale. Horizon mirror is broken, includes 4 index filters, 3 horizon filters, 3 brass telescopes, 2 lens caps, wooden handle, 6” radius on scale, maker and model 4323 marked on index arm, vernier read by magnify lens.

Box is 9 5/8” x 9 5/8” x 5 ¼” with hinge top, two latches, lock, marked “obs 14,” with metal handle.

Acquired in exchange for small Fauth chronograph. Saegmuller joined Bausch and Lomb. In 1905, the company included all three names until 1907.

The artificial horizon:

Wood, metal, glass

In the Astronomy department is the box with the cover, marked Fauth & Co. Box is 8 3/8” x 6 ¼” x 5 ¾”, dove tails visible, 2 hook latches, exterior university id tag plus paper label #6 .. Both the tray and bottle are corroded. Wind shield is greenish metal and glass. A

The artificial horizon was used with sextant to determine the altitude of objects when the true horizon was not visible. They most commonly consist of a trough, bottle with mercury, and a wind shield consisting of two panes of glass at right angles to the observer’s line of sight. It was used by viewing the sun or star directly and then again in the reflection of the mercury surface. You would then have two measurements can could divide by two. In the Saegmuller catalog (page 63) it cost $30.

Creator

Bausch, Lomb, Saegmuller Company and Fauth Company

Publisher

Astronomy Department, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois

Date

1906

Contributor

Michael Svec

Rights

Copyright Michael Svec

Format

image/jpg

Language

English

Type

physical object

Identifier

University of Illinois Observatory Collection A119.1
University ID 016654, obs14

Coverage

University of Illinois Observatory, Urbana, Illinois

Files

Bausch, Lomb, Saegmuller Company sextant
DSCN0043.JPG
DSCN0045.JPG

Tags

Citation

Bausch, Lomb, Saegmuller Company and Fauth Company, “Sextant and artificial horizon,” University of Illinois Observatory Collection, accessed April 27, 2024, https://uiobservatory.omeka.net/items/show/9.