Sextant to Milliarcsecond Converter

A sextant is a unit of angular measurement equal to 1/6 of a full rotation, or 60 degrees. It represents one of six equal sections when a circle is divided into six parts.

The sextant as an angular unit is related to the navigational instrument of the same name, developed in the 18th century. The division of circles into six parts (hexagonal division) has ancient roots in geometry, as 60 degrees represents the angle in an equilateral triangle.

Sextants as angular units are rarely used in modern applications, though the 60-degree angle remains important in crystallography, molecular geometry, and some engineering applications. The term is more commonly associated with the navigational instrument rather than the angular unit itself.

A milliarcsecond (mas) is a unit of angular measurement equal to 1/1000 of an arcsecond or 1/3,600,000 of a degree. It represents the finest level of angular precision commonly used in astronomy.

Milliarcseconds became necessary with the advent of very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) and space-based telescopes in the late 20th century. This precision level was unattainable until advanced radio astronomy techniques and space missions like Hipparcos and Gaia made such measurements possible.

Milliarcseconds are used in cutting-edge astronomical research for measuring stellar parallax, proper motion of stars, positions of quasars, and in very long baseline interferometry. They're essential for the most precise astrometric measurements and are used by space missions like Gaia for creating detailed star catalogs.