Why are angles measured in degrees minutes and seconds?

The sexagesimal system is a numbering system that uses the base sixty. It is used to measure times (hours, minutes and seconds) and angles (degrees, minutes and seconds). In this system, 60 units of an order form a unit of higher order. Thus, 60 seconds form 1 minute, and 60 minutes form 1 hour or 1 degree, according to time or angles.

The use of the number sixty as a basis for the measurement of angles, coordinates and time measurements is linked to old astronomy and trigonometry. It was common to measure the elevation angle of a star and trigonometry uses right triangles.