Terminology from the Age of Sail

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Search result for definition: octant
Octant: A similar navigational device to a sextant with the difference being a shorter scale, only 1/8 of a circle or 45°. It was used until 1767 when it was quickly replaced by the sextant because of the first edition of the Nautical Almanac. This almanac tabulated lunar distances, enabling navigators to determine the current time from the measured angle between the sun and the moon. This angle is sometimes larger than 90° and then can not be measured with an octant, making it obsolete.
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