Aurorae Borealis Studia Classica

The nineteenth volume in the series presents a treatise on the aurora borealis by Lars (Laurids) Barhow (1707–1754), parish priest at Ørlandet, some 50-odd kilometers west of Trondheim in Norway. Barhow's theory of the aurora may not be correct from the vantage point of present-day physics, but his consistent methodological approach and independent line of reasoning certainly met the standards of the Age of Enlightenment. Unlike many other investigators, Barhow argued (correctly) that the aurora borealis never descended below the height of the clouds. He also attempted to make a classification system on various types of aurora to ensure that discussions of the phenomenon could follow a common epistemology. The treatise is extant in two versions, a Danish manuscript submitted to The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters in 1748 and a German printed edition from 1751. Both versions are included in this volume, which is prefaced by an introductory essay by Per Pippin Aspaas.