Alidade (nonfiction)

An alidade (archaic forms include alhidade, alhidad, alidad) or a turning board is a device that allows one to sight a distant object and use the line of sight to perform a task. This task can be, for example, to draw a line on a plane table in the direction of the object or to measure the angle to the object from some reference point. Angles measured can be horizontal, vertical or in any chosen plane.

The alidade was originally a part of many types of scientific and astronomical instrument. At one time, some alidades, particularly those used on graduated circles as on astrolabes, were also called diopters. With modern technology, the name is applied to complete instruments such as the plane table alidade.