Brass sextant with case

Reproduction of a 17th century sextant. The sextant is a nautical instrument that was widely used by navigators during the 18th and 19th centuries. Intended to measure the distance between the stars and the horizon it allowed calculating the position of vessels in the sea. In the middle of the 20th century, as a result of Almirante Gago Coutinho's knowledge and ingenuity, whom developed a sextant with an artificial horizon, its use was extended to air navigation. In 1922 Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral completed the first aerial crossing of the Atlantic.