Convert Sextants to Centesimal Seconds

Convert Sextants (sxt) to Centesimal Seconds (c″) instantly and accurately.

Sextants (sxt)
Centesimal Seconds (c″)

Conversion Formula

c″ = sxt × 666666.6667

About Sextants

A sextant, as an angle unit, equals 1/6 of a full circle - π/3 rad = exactly 60°. The marine sextant (invented ~1730s by John Hadley and Thomas Godfrey) measures the altitude between a celestial body and the horizon; its 60° arc gives 120° measurement range via double reflection. The 60° angle is geometrically fundamental: equilateral triangles, regular hexagons, hexagonal crystal structures, and sp²-hybridised carbon (benzene, graphene) all exhibit 60° symmetry. 1 sextant = 60° = π/3 rad = 100 grad.

About Centesimal Seconds

A centesimal second (c″) is 1/10,000 of a gradian - exactly π/2,000,000 rad ≈ 1.5708 × 10⁻⁶ rad. In the gradian hierarchy, 1 right angle = 100 grad = 10,000 c′ = 1,000,000 c″. High-precision total stations calibrated in gons report to 0.1-1 c″, equivalent to ~0.0324 arcseconds. Used in French, Dutch, Swiss, and Scandinavian cadastral surveys. DIN 1313 designates 10 c″ = 1 milligon (mgon). 1 c″ ≈ 0.324″ sexagesimal = π/2,000,000 rad.

Quick Reference Table

Sextants (sxt)Centesimal Seconds (c″)
1 sxt666667 c″
2 sxt1333330 c″
5 sxt3333330 c″
10 sxt6666670 c″
25 sxt16666700 c″
50 sxt33333300 c″
100 sxt66666700 c″

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