Kristian Birkeland (1867-1917),Norwegian physic- ist,with his apparatus for studying the cause of the aurora borealis,or Northern Lights. This comprised a metal sphere containing a magnet (simulating Earth) in a vacuum chamber (simulating space). He fired a stream of electrons at the sphere,which simulated the solar wind. The inter- actions of the electrons and the magnetic field produced lights analogous to the aurorae on Earth. Birkeland also invented a process for extracting nitrogen from air for fertiliser manufacture. He set up a hydroelectric power com- pany to fund his aurora research. He died of an overdose of sleeping pills in a Tokyo hotel room | |
Licence : | Droits gérés |
Crédit: | Science Photo Library |
Taille de l’image : | 4017 px × 4724 px |
Model Release : | Le droit n'est pas encore disponible. Merci de nous contacter avant utilisation. |
Property Release : | Non requis |
Restrictions : | - |