A Cross Staff and a Quadrant are Instruments that measure Latitude.
Yes Christopher Columbus did use a sextant along with a compass, ampoletta, and a cross staff.
a cross staff
The cross staff was used to determine the vessels latitude by measuring the altitude of Polaris or the Sun.
Latitude
used to draw things
2010
used to draw things
The least count of a cross staff is typically around 0.5 degrees. This means that it can measure angles with a precision of about half a degree.
The papal staff is called a ferula. It is a staff which is topped by a cross. Bishops carry a staff with a curved top which is called a crozier.
The cross staff was important in navigation during the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance because it allowed sailors to measure the angle of celestial bodies above the horizon. This tool enabled navigators to determine their latitude with greater accuracy while at sea. By aligning the cross staff with the celestial object and the horizon, sailors could take reliable readings, which significantly improved maritime navigation and exploration. Its use laid the groundwork for more advanced navigational instruments that followed.
the instruments in navigation are gps's, kamals, sextants, cross staff, back staff, mariners astrolabe, quadrant, and octants :)