Name : Ausa Ramadhan Agustawijaya

NRP : 03311942000008

Difference between theodolites and sextant

A sextant measures angles on one sixth of a circle. For simple sextants, such as astronomical
sextants, that means the angle measured is up to 60°. For double-reflecting sextants such as
navigator's sextants, the angle measured is up to 120°. The orientation of the sextant can be
varied in many cases from horizontal to vertical. In general, a simple navigator's sextant can
measure with limited accuracy of about one-fifth of a degree.
A theodolite is a more sophisticated instrument that will simultaneously measure both a
horizontal and a vertical angle through a full 360°. The two degrees of rotational freedom of the
instrument are fixed at right angles and so arbitrarily oriented angles cannot easily be measured
directly. The accuracy can be greater than a sextant of comparable size. However, the theodolite
must be carefully levelled on a tripod or other mount and is not hand-held. One thing that a
theodolite can do is be positioned over a specific point on land with considerable accuracy.
Sextants and theodolites can be used interchangeably, but the ease of use for a specific purpose
will differ. A tripod-mounted theodolite on the deck of a ship will make for a poor navigation
instrument and a sextant in many geodetic or construction tasks will be tricky to use.