Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 4 hours ago
A #sextant is a classic navigational tool used to measure the angle between a celestial body (like the sun or a star) and the horizon. By checking these angles and knowing the exact time, sailors and pilots can calculate their precise latitude and longitude. Learn more from Captain Richard Bowen about how to use a sextant for navigating at sea.
Captain Bowen went to Massachusetts Maritime Academy and graduated in 1974. He spend 24 years deep sea and another 17 years running out to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. In 1985, he was Captain of the research vessel KNORR out of Wood's Hole that found the wreck of the #TITANIC.
Check out our free lesson plan "The Longitude Problem" where students will learn about latitude and longitude and why these concepts are so important to navigation. In the activity at the end of this lesson plan, students will develop practical mapping skills and improve their understanding of coordinates by practicing finding points using latitude and longitude. Visit shiphistory.org/2026/07/01/the-longitude-problem to learn more.
A #sextant is a classic navigational tool used to measure the angle between a celestial body (like the sun or a star) and the horizon. By checking these angles and knowing the exact time, sailors and pilots can calculate their precise latitude and longitude. Learn more from Captain Richard Bowen about how to use a sextant for navigating at sea.
Captain Bowen went to Massachusetts Maritime Academy and graduated in 1974. He spend 24 years deep sea and another 17 years running out to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. In 1985, he was Captain of the research vessel KNORR out of Wood's Hole that found the wreck of the #TITANIC.
Check out our free lesson plan "The Longitude Problem" where students will learn about latitude and longitude and why these concepts are so important to navigation. In the activity at the end of this lesson plan, students will develop practical mapping skills and improve their understanding of coordinates by practicing finding points using latitude and longitude. Visit shiphistory.org/2026/07/01/the-longitude-problem to learn more.
