Celestial navigation

instruments

Back staf
Cross staf
Kamal
Mariner's astrolabe
Quadrant
Octant
Sextant

Back staf
The backstaf is a navigational
instrument that was used to
measure the altitude of a
celestial body, in particular the
sun or moon. When observing the
sun, users kept the sun to their
back and observed the shadow
cast by the upper vane on a
horizon vane. It was invented by
the English navigator John Davis
that described it in his book
Seaman's Secrets in 1594

Cross staf
In navigation the instrument was
used to determine angles, for
instance the angle between the
horizon and Polaris or the sun to
determine a vessel's latitude, or
the angle between the top and
bottom of an object to determine
the distance to said object if its
height is known, or the height of
the object if its distance is
known, or the horizontal angle
between two visible locations to
determine one's point on a map.

Kamal
A kamal is a celestial
navigation device
that determines
latitude. It originated
with Arab navigators
of the late 9th
century, and was
employed in the
Indian Ocean from
the 10th century.

Mariner's astrolabe
The mariner's astrolabe was used to determine
the latitude of a ship at sea by measuring the
sun's noon altitude. They were designed to
allow for their use on boats in rough water
and/or in heavy winds. In the sixteenth
century, the instrument was also called a ring

Quadrant
A quadrant is an instrument that is
used to measure angles up to 90.
It was originally proposed by
Ptolemy as a better kind of
astrolabe.

Sextant
A sextant is an instrument used to
measure the angle between any two
visible objects. Its primary use is to
determine the angle between a
celestial object and the horizon which
is known as the object's altitude. A
sextant can also be held horizontally
to measure the angle between any
two landmarks which allows for
calculation of a position on a chart

Chip log
A chip log, also called common log, ship log or just log,
is a navigation tool used by mariners to estimate the
speed of a vessel through water. The name of the unit
knot, for nautical mile per hour, was derived from this
method of measurement.
When the navigator wished to determine the speed of
his vessel, a sailor dropped the log over the stern of
the ship. The log would act as a drogue and remain
roughly in place while the vessel moved away. The logline was allowed to run out for a fixed period of time.
The speed of the ship was indicated by the length of
log-line passing over the stern during that time.