Accession No
2731
Brief Description
mercury artificial horizon, Iglesias improved anti-tremor type, by Negretti and Zambra, English, 1900 (c)
Origin
England; London
Maker
Negretti and Zambra
Class
navigation
Earliest Date
1900
Latest Date
1900
Inscription Date
Material
metal (mercury, other, steel, brass); glass; wood
Dimensions
box length 163mm; breadth 138mm; height 117mm
Special Collection
Provenance
Transferred from Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, 09/03/1981.
Inscription
‘NEGRETTI & ZAMBRA
LONDON’
‘IGLESIAS’ IMPROVED
ANTI-TREMOR HORIZON’
Description Notes
Mercury artificial horizon, by Negretti & Zambra, English, c. 1900.
Mercury artificial horizon. Metal trough, black, corner shaped for pouring. Two glass floats, one polished black. Steel mercury bottle, empty. Fitted wooden box with brass fittings.
References
Events
Description
Artificial horizon
An artificial horizon can be used in darkness, fog, or when the real horizon is obscured for any other reason. They were often used in conjunction with other instruments that need a horizontal level, such as a sextant or reflecting circle. There are records of use from the mid 16th century onwards.
The 2 basic types of artificial horizon were mercury with a glass cover – the top layer of the mercury always staying level (this type is not very practical for use on a ship) and bubble levels, where the position of bubbles in a liquid shows which way the axis is tilting.
18/10/2002
Created by: Saffron Clackson on 18/10/2002
FM:44148
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