Kristian Birkeland: The Almost Forgotten Scientist

This lecture by Dr. Pål Brekke, of the Norwegian Space Center, celebrates physicist Kristian Birkeland alongside spectacular images and video of the Earth’s most amazing light phenomena: the Northern Lights.

Widely regarded as the leading scientist and inventor in Norwegian history, Kristian Birkeland’s legacy still stands strong, 150 years after his birth and 100 years after his death. The first scientist to explain that the sun was the source of the Northern Lights, Birkeland founded much of today’s modern space research. He was also the man behind the fantastic invention that enabled the making of artificial fertiliser by harvesting nitrogen from the air, which was the foundation of Hydro (today called Yara), the world’s largest fertiliser company, operating production in more than 50 countries.