The permanent exhibition, Time and Navigation, will explore how revolutions in timekeeping over three centuries have influenced how we find our way.
If you want to know where you are, you need an accurate clock. This surprising connection between time and place has been crucial for centuries. About 250 years ago, sailors first used accurate clocks to navigate the oceans. Today we locate ourselves on the globe with synchronized clocks in orbiting satellites. Among the many challenges facing navigation from then to now, one stands out: keeping accurate time.
Learn more by exploring the online exhibition.
This exhibit is made possible by the generous support of the following donors.Navigating in the sea: this sextant was one of the navigation tools invented in the 18th century by British mathematical instrument makers that permitted mariners to find their position much better than ever before. The sextant became the most essential instrument for celestial navigation, used to find the angle of a celestial body above the horizon. Jesse Ramsden, who made this sextant, also devised a machine to divide the scale on the sextant very precisely.