The rise and fall of cosmical physics: notes for a history, ca. 1850-1920

Abstract: In the period from about 1890 to 1915 an interdisciplinary and unifying research programme known as "cosmical physics" attracted much scientific and public attention. It typically included aspects of the earth sciences (such as magnetic storms and atmospheric electricity) combined with astronomical subjects (such as the solar corona and cometary tails), but there was no unanimity as to the precise meaning of cosmical physics, which collapsed after World War I. The essay covers the history of cosmical physics as it unfolded in particular in Germany, Austria, England and Scandinavia. Among the scientists who contributed to the development of cosmical physics were Wilhelm Foerster from Germany, Wilhelm Trabert from Austria, Kristian Birkeland from Norway and Svante Arrhenius from Sweden. While cosmical physics did not usually involve a cosmological dimension, both Birkeland and Arrhenius constructed cosmologies based on their work on auroral and other phenomena.