Abstract
Abstract. This report presents data and analysis of visual, photographic and auroral spectral data, obtained by the Russian astronomer J. Sykora from the Russian-Swedish expedition to Spitsbergen during the 1899–1900 winter season, which are historically significant for auroral studies. These data seem to be the first instrumental observations of auroral spectra in the Arctic and some of the emissions discovered have world priority. The second known photos in the world of aurora from the Arctic and undoubtedly the first ones for geomagnetic latitudes of about 75° in the Spitsbergen Archipelago were obtained. The results of the expedition are discussed from a modern point of view and compared with our knowledge of the 21st century. A description of the equipment and methods that were used by Russian astronomers is presented. Both photographic and spectral devices using registration by photographic plates were used, along with special methods of their development and enhancement. Some statistical analysis was done on the basis of the expedition reports and diaries. This analysis shows that by using Sykora's data it was possible to discover the auroral oval or instantaneous auroral distribution over the polar region. Analysis of photographic samples and sketches of the aurora demonstrate typical auroral form outlines as they are described today. Spectral plates exposed for several hours to auroral lights revealed not only the main auroral emissions, which were well-known at that time, but several other unidentified weak emissions, which were rediscovered and interpreted years later. Keywords. History of geophysics (Atmospheric sciences, instruments and techniques)
Highlights
Auroral physics is closely connected both with man’s penetration into the Arctic and technological progress in optical imaging and spectroscopy.The discovery of the auroral zone or auroral belt and the auroral oval are usually connected with the names of Hansteen (Sandholt et al, 2002), Muncke, Loomis, and Fritz et al (Muncke, 1837; Loomis, 1860; Fritz, 1881)
The instantaneous auroral oval concept was presented by Khorosheva (1962); Feldstein (1963); and Feldstein and Starkov (1967)
Data from the first complex instrumental investigation of aurora in the Arctic by the Russian-Swedish expedition to Spitsbergen in 1899–1900 are reviewed from a modern point of view. The results of this analysis demonstrate that it was possible to reconstruct the instantaneous auroral oval from the data obtained by this expedition
Summary
Auroral physics is closely connected both with man’s penetration into the Arctic and technological progress in optical imaging and spectroscopy. There were plenty of observations before these discoveries, which are described and referenced in the reviews of Chamberlain (1961), Akasofu (1979), Brekke and Egeland (1979), and Eather (1980) Some of these early data would have permitted the formulation of the auroral belt and instantaneous oval concepts. The first images of aurora from the Arctic were obtained by Martin Brendel from the expedition of Baschin to Bossekop (Finmark) in 1891–1892, which used shorter exposures from 7 s to several minutes These were the first published auroral photographs (Baschin, 1900; Schroder, 2004). Auroral 1NG(0.2) VK(2.14) 2PG(0.4) 1NG(0.1) 1NG(2.3) 2PG(4.8) 2PG(0.3) 2PG(1.4) 1NG(0.0) 2PG(0.2) 2PG(1.3) 2PG(2.4)
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