Octant vs. Sextant

Octantnoun

The eighth part of a circle; an arc of 45 degrees.

Octantnoun

(astrology) The aspect of two planets that are 45°, or one-eighth of a circle, apart.

Octantnoun

(geometry) The eighth part of a disc; a sector of 45 degrees; half a quadrant.

Octantnoun

(nautical) An instrument for measuring angles, particularly of elevation.

Octantnoun

The eighth part of a circle; an arc of 45 degrees.

Octantnoun

The position or aspect of a heavenly body, as the moon or a planet, when half way between conjunction, or opposition, and quadrature, or distant from another body 45 degrees.

Octantnoun

An instrument for measuring angles (generally called a quadrant), having an arc which measures up to 9O°, but being itself the eighth part of a circle. Cf. Sextant.

Octantnoun

One of the eight parts into which a space is divided by three coördinate planes.

Octantnoun

a measuring instrument for measuring angles to a celestial body; similar to a sextant but with 45 degree calibration

Sextantnoun

(nautical) A navigational device for deriving angular distances between objects so as to determine latitude and longitude.

Sextantnoun

(geometry) One sixth of a circle or disc; a sector with an angle of 60°.

Sextantnoun

(dentistry) One of six groups of adjacent teeth, excluding the wisdom teeth. The front sextants go from canine to canine, and there are sextants on the right and left of these. See w:Periodontal examination.

Sextantnoun

The sixth part of a circle.

Sextantnoun

An instrument for measuring angular distances between objects, - used esp. at sea, for ascertaining the latitude and longitude. It is constructed on the same optical principle as Hadley's quadrant, but usually of metal, with a nicer graduation, telescopic sight, and its arc the sixth, and sometimes the third, part of a circle. See Quadrant.

Sextantnoun

The constellation Sextans.

Sextantnoun

a unit of angular distance equal to 60 degrees

Sextantnoun

a measuring instrument for measuring the angular distance between celestial objects; resembles an octant

Sextantnoun

an instrument with a graduated arc of 60° and a sighting mechanism, used for measuring the angular distances between objects and especially for taking altitudes in navigation and surveying.

Sextant

A sextant is a doubly reflecting navigation instrument that measures the angular distance between two visible objects. The primary use of a sextant is to measure the angle between an astronomical object and the horizon for the purposes of celestial navigation.