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MAKING THE MODERN WORLD
Stories about the lives we've made
 

Object:Nine-inch ebony octant, London


picture zoom related ingenious images © Science Museum/Science and Society Picture Library

Navigational instrument made by J. Smith (126 Wapping, London). Octants were used by navigators to determine a ship's latitude by measuring the angle between the horizon and a celestial body, such as the Sun.
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