Bibliographical history of electricity & magnetism, chronologically arranged
History
Bibliographical history of electricity & magnetism, chronologically arranged
Electricity -- History; Electricity -- History -- Bibliography; Magnetism -- History; Magnetism -- History -- Bibliography; Science, Medieval
A complete list of all auroras appearing prior to 1754 is to be found
in Jean Jacques d’Ortons de Mairan’s, Paris, 1731, “Traité Physique de
l’Aurore Boréale,” and a catalogue of auroræ observed, 1800–1877, has
been made up by M. Zenger (_Sci. Am. Supp._, p. 10915). One of the most
interesting displays is known as the _purple aurora_, alluded to in the
Annals of Clan-mac-noise as having appeared A.D. 688 (Biot “Note sur la
direction,” etc., _Comptes Rendus_, Tome XIX for 1844, p. 822). Between
September 19, 1838, and April 8, 1839, Lottin, Bravais, Lilliehöök
and Siljeström observed 160 auroras at Bossekop (69° 58’ N. lat.)
in Finmark and at Jupvig (70° 6’ N. lat.); they were most frequent
during the period the sun remained below the horizon, that is, from
November 17 to January 25. During this night of 70 times 24 hours there
were 64 auroras visible (_Comptes Rendus_, Tome X. p. 289; Martin,
“Météorologie,” 1843, p. 453; Argelander, in the “Vorträgen geh. in der
Königsberg Gesellschaft,” Bd. I. s. 259).
A Finnish physicist, named S. Lenström, who had been attached to the
Nordenskjold Polar Expedition of 1868, visited Lapland in 1871, and,
after a series of important observations, constructed an apparatus that
permitted him to “artificially reproduce the light of the aurora.” The
intensity of this light is so great at times that Lowenörn perceived
the coruscations in bright sunshine on the 29th of January, 1786, and
Parry saw the aurora throughout the day during the voyage of 1821–1823.
The height of the aurora has been variously estimated, but it is seldom
found to be less than forty-five miles above the surface of the earth.
Father Boscovich estimated at 825 miles the height of the one observed
by the Marquis of Poleni on the 16th of December, 1737. The extent of
the aurora, according to Dalton, has been known to cover an area of
7000 or 8000 square miles.
REFERENCES.--“Mem. de Turin,” An. 1784–5, Vol. I. part ii. pp.
328, 338; Young, “Lectures,” Vol. I. pp. 687, 716; Herschel,
“Prelim. Discourse,” pp. 93, 329, 330; _Phil. Trans._, 1753,
p. 350; Müller’s “Kosmischen Physik”; Noad, “Manual,” pp.
225–237; also all the references at pp. 187–196, Vol. I of
Humboldt’s “Cosmos,” Bohn, London, 1849, as well as in Ronalds’
“Catalogue,” pp. 23–24; Mairan, at Vol. X. p. 961, “Dict.
Univ.,” and Vol. XXVI. p. 161, of the “Biog. Universelle”;
_Trans. Cambridge Phil. Soc._, Vol. I; “Isis Unveiled,” Vol. I.
pp. 417, 418.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account