SHOOT THE SUN
Using a sextant is said to be similar to using a shotgun to shoot a moving object – you don’t normally hit the bird with your first try. Practice makes perfect.
When taking the sight, set the index arm of the sextant at roughly the angle you expect the sun to be at the time. You seldom need the shades for the horizon, but select a shade for the index mirror and be careful looking so that you don’t hurt your eye staring straight into the sun without a shade.
When you get the sun into the view of the telescope, bring the image of the sun close above the horizon by adjusting the index arm. When you have both the sun and the horizon visible
