Reflecting instrument

Reflecting instruments are those that use mirrors to enhance their ability to make measurements. In particular, the use of mirrors permits one to observe two objects simultaneously while measuring the angular distance between the objects. While reflecting instruments are used in many professions, they are primarily associated with celestial navigation as the need to solve navigation problems, in particular the problem of the longitude, was the primary motivation in their development.

The purpose of reflecting instruments is to allow an observer to measure the altitude of a celestial object or measure the angular distance between two objects. The driving force behind the developments discussed here was the solution to the problem of finding one's longitude at sea. The solution to this problem was seen to require an accurate means of measuring angles and the accuracy was seen to rely on the observer's ability to measure this angle by simultaneously observing two objects at once.

The deficiency of prior instruments was well known. Requiring the observer to observe two objects with two divergent lines of sight increased the likelihood of an error. Those that considered the problem realized that the use of specula (mirrors in modern parlance) could permit two objects to be observed in a single view. What followed is a series of inventions and improvements that refined the instrument to the point that its accuracy exceeded that which was required for determining longitude. Any further improvements required a completely new technology.

Some of the early reflecting instruments were proposed by scientists such as Robert Hooke and Isaac Newton. These were little used or may not have been built or tested extensively. The van Breen instrument was the exception, in that it was used by the Dutch. However, it had little influence outside of the Netherlands.

Invented in 1660 by the Dutch Joost van Breen, the spiegelboog (mirror-bow) was a reflecting cross staff. This instrument appears to have been used for approximately 100 years, mainly in the Zeeland Chamber of the VOC (The Dutch East India Company).

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