Egeland A., Burke W.J. Carl Størmer: Auroral Pioneer

Springer, 2012. - 195 p.
Naturally occurring phenomena in the heavens have been observed and enjoyed for at least as long as the historical record. Few have stirred the human imagination with curiosity and fear as much as aurora or as they are often called in the Nordic countries, Northern Lights.
The purpose of this book is to summarize the seminal contributions to auroral science of Carl Størmer (1874–1957), who was first to apply precise methods of data collection, to calculate accurate heights of different auroral forms, the trajectories of auroral particles in the Earth’s magnetic field and to develop first realistic auroral models. Størmer carefully photographed and mapped auroral characteristics over the course of four solar cycles. His work is still cited in review papers. Through his investigations of auroral effects, Størmer helped establish the solid foundations on which present-day space research has been built.
Beyond auroral science, Carl Størmer contributed in other ways to Norway’s cultural history by systematically taking candid photographs of famous artists, politicians, and academic personalities between 1890 and 1900. Thus, Størmer's covert pictures of the play-write Henrik Ibsen walking on Karl Johans Gate (street) are used in official Norwegian documents to this day.
Apart from these achievements, the book contains information on Størmer's biography, his mathematical contributions, botanical interests, his family, etc.