Early history of sudden commencement investigation and some newly discovered historical facts

The history of the research on the SC (sudden commencement) of magnetic storms before World War II is studied in this paper. Since geomagnetic research activities before World War II are still not yet fully known, this paper aims to reveal some historical facts related to SC investigation at that time. The first conclusion of this paper is the possible first discoverer of the simultaneity of SC at distant locations. We show that a Portuguese scientist had already pointed it out 16 years earlier than believed. The second conclusion is the role and activities of Aikitu Tanakadate as the reporter of the SC investigation committee of STME (Section of Terrestrial Magnetism and Electricity) and IATME (International Association of Terrestrial Magnetism and Electricity) in the IGGU (International Geodetic and Geophysical Union) or IUGG (International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics). Very little was known about his activities as the reporter of this committee. Our investigation at the Tanakadate Aikitu Memorial Science Museum disclosed how he acted and what he thought of SC, based on his frequent letters to and from other scientists. The third conclusion concerns SC research carried out by Japanese scientists during the period of the Second International Polar Year (1932–1933). Not only Tanakadate but also many other Japanese scientists participated in SC research during this international project. This formed a traditional basis of SC investigation in Japan, prompting a number of Japanese scientists to study SC after World War II.

Gauss and the Mathematical Background to Standardisation

Our aim is to explore the links between standardisation, the quantifying spirit, and the discipline mathematics. To do so, we consider the work of Gauss, renowned as a pure mathematician, but professionally an astronomer, and one heavily engaged with all kinds of measuring and precision initiatives. He contributed to the mathematical correction of data with the method of least squares; to observations of high precision in his geodetic work; to the introduction of absolute measures in his collaborations with Weber on terrestrial magnetism; and to the rationalisation of weights and measures in the state of Hannover. Ultimately, the question is to what extent such precision and standardisation activities may have been rooted in the mathematical way of thinking. Mathematics in our tradition has had a strong contemplative bias (theory, theorein in Greek means to contemplate), but it’s a fact that mathematics has always had a non-eliminable technical side.

Athanasius Kircher and Terrestrial Magnetism: The Magnetic Map

Athanasius Kircher paid special attention to magnetism, more specifically terrestrial one, in his work Magnes sive de arte magnetica. Other Jesuits of his time, such as Garzoni and Cabeo, also wrote on this subject. Kircher studied in particular magnetic declination and its possible use to determine geographical longitudes. At his time, this was an important subject for long sea journeys. First, he collected a large number of observations of magnetic declination from different sources in three tables and two lists with a total of 518 values, among them forty-three made by Jesuits. Kircher proposed that a magnetic map could be made based on these observations, but he did not do it. From Kircher’s observations a map of magnetic declination has been drawn and it is presented here. Kircher discussed the causes of declination and presented a model for the origin of the magnetic field of the Earth, which differed from that proposed by Gilbert. Kircher finally considered magnetism as a cosmic force with its origin in God.

Jesuits and the Natural Sciences in Modern Times, 1814–2014

After their restoration of 1814, the Jesuits made significant contributions to the natural sciences, especially in the fields of astronomy, meteorology, seismology, terrestrial magnetism, mathematics, and biology. This narrative provides a history of the Jesuit institutions in which these discoveries were made, many of which were established in countries that previously had no scientific institutions whatsoever, thus generating a scientific and educational legacy that endures to this day. The essay also focuses on the teaching and research that took place at Jesuit universities and secondary schools, as well as the order’s creation of a worldwide network of seventy-four astronomical and geophysical observatories where particularly important contributions were made to the fields of terrestrial magnetism, microseisms, tropical hurricanes, and botany.

TERRESTRIAL MAGNETISM IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE: DOCUMENTS AND MEASUREMENTS

ABSTRACT Geophysics, in the modern sense, started with geomagnetic works in the 1600s in the Ottoman Empire. The period between 1600 and 1800 included the measurement of magnetic declination, inclination and magnetic field strength. Before that time, there was only a little information available, such as how to use a compass, for example in the Kitab-i Bahriye (the Book of Navigation) by Piri Reis, one of the most important mariners of the Ottoman Empire. However, this may not mean that magnetic declination was generally understood. The first Turkish scientific book relating to terrestrial magnetism was the book Fuyuzat-i Miknatissiye that was translated in 1731 from German into Turkish by Ibrahim Müteferrika. The subject of that book was earth's magnetism. The magnetic compass was mentioned in several books including Muhammed al Awfi's Jami al- Hikayat (translated into Turkish by Ibn Arabşah); Piri Reis's Kitab-I Bahriye (The Book of ‘Navigation’); Seydi Ali Reis's Risale-i Mirat-I Kainat min Alat-I Irtifa (The Treatise called the Mirror of Universe according to the instrument for measuring Altitude) and Kitab Al-Muhit Fi'Ilm'al-Eflak Va'l Abhur (Book of the Regional Seas and the Science of Astronomy and Navigation). There were two original magnetic declination measurements made by Ottoman Turks in Istanbul in 1727 and 1893. Also, many geomagnetic measurements were carried out during international campaigns between 1600 and 1917 that visited Ottoman territory.

Of men and instruments: The Norwegian Aurora Expedition to the Arctic, 1902–1903

ABSTRACTIn 1902, the Norwegian Professor Kristian Birkeland organised an expedition to the Arctic for studies of the aurora borealis, terrestrial magnetism and cirrus clouds. He established four stations at different locations—northern Norway, Iceland, Spitsbergen and Novaya Zemlya—all equipped with a similar set of scientific instruments. Using an extended concept of a scientific instrument, it is shown here that not only the instruments themselves, but also the external equipment, buildings and camp-facilities, as well as the manual work performed by the expedition members all played a role in obtaining the final results. Further, it is shown that Birkeland's efforts in organising and funding the expedition can be seen as an instrument-making operation.

Search for Chelyabinsk Meteorite Fragments in Chebarkul Lake Bottom (GPR and Magnetic Data)

The paper summarizes experimental efforts of the Pushkov Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation (IZMIRAN) undertaken in search of the biggest part of Chelyabinsk meteorite in the bottom of lake Chebarkul, South Ural, Russia, and to estimate the ecological effects of its subsequent excavation.