Description
Practice Bubble Horizon is a sextant accessory that makes it possible to practice astronomical navigation without having a natural horizon available. The instrument acts as an artificial horizon and is mounted on the sextant instead of the usual telescope.
In normal sextant navigation, the navigator needs to be able to see both the celestial body and the natural horizon to measure the angle between them. When the horizon is not available – for example during training on land or in areas where the horizon is not clear – a bubble horizon can be used instead. The built-in bubble acts as a reference point and makes it possible to make observations and practice the technique.
Practice Bubble Horizon is designed specifically for training and teaching astronomical navigation. The instrument makes it possible to practice observing, reading and handling the sextant without being at sea.
However, somewhat lower accuracy must be expected compared to observations against a natural horizon. For this reason, this type of artificial horizon is primarily used for exercises, courses and teaching, and not for practical navigation at sea.
The bubble horizon is mounted on the sextant instead of the telescope and can be used with a range of sextants, including models from Celestaire and Cassens & Plath.
This makes the Practice Bubble Horizon a useful accessory for navigation courses, teaching and for sailors who want to practice using the sextant before observations at sea.
