"Birkeland was well read in previous explanations of the Lights, his favorite being an experiment performed in the 1740s by a Swedish man of letters, Samuel von Triewald, who shone a beam of light through a prism, over a glass of cognac and onto a screen. Von Triewald was hoping to prove that the Lights were caused by sunlight striking clouds of "vapors" in the atmosphere. The fumes from the cognac created swirling patterns in the light, and the experimenter wrote:
One was surprised to see a naturally occurring northern light on the screen that nothing could more resemble... Never be a man tired regardless how long he looks at this experiment, for in addition it is far the most beautiful one can produce in a dark room."
Endlich mal eine vernuenftige Verwendung fuer Alkohol!
Katja
*o.T.*