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The Northern Light

From Mythology to Space Research

  • Book
  • © 1983

Overview

Authors:
  1. Asgeir Brekke

    1. Institute of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway

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  2. Alv Egeland

    1. Institute of Physics, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo 3, Norway

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Table of contents (12 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages I-XI
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  2. The Northern Light in Folklore and Mythology

    • Asgeir Brekke, Alv Egeland
    Pages 1-9

  3. The Northern Light in Norse Literature

    • Asgeir Brekke, Alv Egeland
    Pages 10-22

  4. The Northern Light — A Source of Inspiration

    • Asgeir Brekke, Alv Egeland
    Pages 24-33

  5. Accounts of Northern Lights in Scandinavia — From the Viking Era to the Renaissance

    • Asgeir Brekke, Alv Egeland
    Pages 34-52

  6. The Northern Light in Scandinavia During the Eighteenth Century

    • Asgeir Brekke, Alv Egeland
    Pages 53-74

  7. Scientific Auroral Experiments Beginning in the Nineteenth Century

    • Asgeir Brekke, Alv Egeland
    Pages 75-86

  8. Norwegian Auroral Pioneers in the Dawn of Our Century

    • Asgeir Brekke, Alv Egeland
    Pages 87-102

  9. The Northern Lights as Weather Signs — and the Auroral Sound

    • Asgeir Brekke, Alv Egeland
    Pages 103-110

  10. Northern Lights and Geomagnetic Disturbances — Their Influence on Daily Life

    • Asgeir Brekke, Alv Egeland
    Pages 111-124

  11. Auroral Research as a Tool to Study the Upper Atmosphere and Near Space

    • Asgeir Brekke, Alv Egeland
    Pages 125-136

  12. The First Systematic Observations of the Northern Light in Norway — Auroral Observatories and Instrumentation

    • Asgeir Brekke, Alv Egeland
    Pages 137-154

  13. Summary and Concluding Remarks

    • Asgeir Brekke, Alv Egeland
    Pages 155-156

  14. Back Matter

    Pages 157-170
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Keywords

About this book

In Nordic literature a remarkable discussion of the northern light appears in Kongespeilet (The King's Mirror) a thirteenth-century Norwegian chronicle. It is described in vivid detail as the following translated excerpts demonstrate: These northern lights have this peculiar nature, that the darker the night is, the brighter they seem, and they always appear at night but never by day, most frequently in the densest darkness and rarely by moonlight. In appearance they resemble a vast flame of fire viewed from a great distance. It also looks as if sharp points were shot from this flame up into the sky; these are of uneven height and in constant motion, now one, now another darting highest; and the light appears to blaze like a living flame. Three different theories for the origin of the northern light were suggested in this book. Numerous naturally occurring heavenly phenomena have been observed and enjoyed as long as the Earth has been inhabited, but hardly any of them has stirred man's imagination, curiosity and fear as much as the northern light. The northern light is certainly one of the most spectacular of nature's phenomena.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Institute of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway

    Asgeir Brekke

  • Institute of Physics, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo 3, Norway

    Alv Egeland

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: The Northern Light

  • Book Subtitle: From Mythology to Space Research

  • Authors: Asgeir Brekke, Alv Egeland

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-69106-5

  • Publisher: Springer Berlin, Heidelberg

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1983

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-642-69108-9Published: 19 November 2011

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-642-69106-5Published: 06 December 2012

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XI, 170

  • Number of Illustrations: 97 b/w illustrations

  • Additional Information: Norwegian original edition published by Grondahl and Son Forlag, Oslo 1979

  • Topics: Atmospheric Sciences

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