Old instruments
Gunter's Quadrant
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Gunter's Quadrant is a compact quadrant engraved with scales for time, altitude, calendar, and related trigonometric problems.
Gunter's Quadrant is a portable astronomical quadrant used in historical astronomy, timekeeping, or navigation.
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At a glance
- Found in
- Historical Almanacs & Instruments
- Related
- Mariner's Astrolabe, Equinoctial Ring Dial, Sector Instrument, Dioptra
Gunter's Quadrant is a portable astronomical quadrant used in historical astronomy, timekeeping, or navigation.
An engraved functional orientation; the page explains the real instrument, method, or publication.
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The story behind Gunter's Quadrant
Edmund Gunter's early seventeenth-century instruments influenced practical English navigation and mathematical-tool design.
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Why Gunter's Quadrant matters
Gunter's Quadrant matters because it compressed several routine astronomical calculations into one handheld plate.
How to read Gunter's Quadrant
Gunter's Quadrant by using the scale and sighting procedure specified speaks to its latitude and engraved design.
Where readings of Gunter's Quadrant go wrong
Not every surviving quadrant follows the same layout, and latitude-specific scales cannot be transferred blindly.
Sources and editorial method
Research references used for this entry include:
- Royal Museums Greenwich: Astronomical and Navigational Instruments - Museum reference collection for historical observing, calculating, timekeeping, and navigation instruments.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Historical Almanacs & Instruments
- Last updated
- 2026-09-26
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More in Historical Almanacs & Instruments
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Common questions
What is Gunter's Quadrant?
Gunter's Quadrant is a compact quadrant engraved with scales for time, altitude, calendar, and related trigonometric problems.
What do people get wrong about Gunter's Quadrant?
Not every surviving quadrant follows the same layout, and latitude-specific scales cannot be transferred blindly.
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