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Titolo dell'opera:
octant
Epoca:
Inventario:
1796
Misure:
Tipo di misura: diametro; Unità di misura: cm; Valore: 25,5
Tecnica:
ebano/ avorio/ vetro
Back to Focus:
The octant is a reflective instrument used to measure the height from the horizon of a reference star (the Sun or the Polar Star), in order to determine the latitude of a given point on the earth's surface. Generally it is formed of a frame shaped like the section of a circle frame, with graduated measurements along the lower edge and an opening of about 45 ° (an eighth of an angle of turn).
Hadley's octant takes the form of the model exhibited after 1760. Octants were not only slowly adopted in Italy because they were very expensive.
