Secrets of the Aurora Borealis (Alaska Geographic Series, Vol. 29, No. 1)

Alaska Star, April 25, 2002
…a must for anyone who has ever braved crisp winter temperatures to stand outside in awe of the dancing lights.

Wrangell St. Elias News, September and October 2002
"Secrets of the Aurora Borealis" is a crucial guide book for dedicated aurora-watchers and casual sky-gazers alike.

Today's Books,
! ! ! Very Good.

Midwest Book Review, July 11, 2002
An amazing presentation …highly recommended for anyone who has ever marveled and wondered about this legendary northern phenomenon.

The Bloomsbury Review, July/August 2002
The photographs of these colorful bands and curtains of light are alone worth the price of the book.

Book Description
The dramatic celestial fire of the aurora borealis has intrigued mankind since ancient times. "Secrets of the Aurora Borealis" investigates the science and history behind the magic light of the aurora offering a comprehensive look into one of nature’s most spectacular phenomena. Author S.-I. Akasofu, director of the International Arctic Research Center, is a world-renowned aurora expert and has studied the northern lights since 1958. "In Secrets of the Aurora Borealis", Dr. Akasofu explains the solar-driven electromagnetic forces that produce the phenomenon, concisely sums up the state of auroral science today, and ponders aspects of the aurora still not understood. "Secrets of the Aurora Borealis" tracks the evolution of auroral knowledge and discusses the speculation and investigations of scientists and philosophers from Ben Franklin and comet discoverer Edmond Halley to contemporary researchers at the forefront of cosmic science. This book also presents indigenous peoples’ fearful and poetic reactions to the lights and early northern explorers’ awe-inspired descriptions. Photographs of the most magnificent and enchanting occurrences of the northern lights illustrate "Secrets of the Aurora Borealis" along with woodcuts that depict the wonder of our ancestors. Explanatory diagrams, charts, and satellite photographs reveal the complex physics behind the dazzling curtains of light. "Secrets of the Aurora Borealis" lists resources for further inquiry and includes a glossary to explain the technical language of auroral studies and a convenient index.

From the Publisher
Dr. Syun-Ichi Akasofu, founding director of the International Arctic Research Center (IARC) in Fairbanks, is one of a handful of distinguished experts on the aurora. In this issue of ALASKA GEOGRAPHIC Dr. Akasofu brings to life myths and facts about the northern lights based on years of intense research. Photographers Jack Finch and Jan Curtis have worked closely with Dr. Akasofu to produce aurora images and gather data. Jack Finch lives in Fairbanks. Many of his aurora photos supplement the website at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute (GI). Jan Curtis is a former staff member of the GI. His aurora images have appeared in numerous books, magazines, and articles. He is currently the state climatologist for Wyoming. Dr. Akasofu would like to thank his colleagues—senior, contemporary, and junior—who have advanced the understanding of the aurora. Without their efforts, this book wouldn't have been possible. Thanks also go to Kimberly Hayes for administrative support and Tohru Saito for help with diagrams.

From the Author
The aurora has been the main subject of my research from my graduate student days. It was very fortunate for me that I could join the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, a world center of auroral research, when the most extensive international cooperative effort to study the aurora began as one of the subjects of the International Geophysical Year (IGY) in 1957-58. Thus, I have participated in the development of auroral research from the beginning of space exploration; satellites are a vital tool in exploring the secrets of the aurora. Although the aurora has not revealed all of its secrets, auroral scientists have learned a great deal about the aurora during the last 40 years. I have felt that I should share the excitement of exploring auroral secrets with people who are interested in it. Further, auroral research before the IGY has a fascinating history associated with arctic exploration. As an effort to convey what I learned, I published the first edition of "Aurora Borealis: The Amazing Northern Lights" in 1979. During the last 20 years or so, auroral science has further advanced. The second edition published as "Secrets of the Aurora Borealis." reflects a number of new findings. For example, auroral researchers have succeeded in imaging the whole earth and the aurora well above the north pole and learned a great deal about the aurora. That was the dream we had during the IGY days.

About the Author
Dr. Akasofu received his Bachelor of Science in 1953 and his Master of Science in 1957 from Tohoku University in Japan, then came to the Geophysical Institute (GI) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks the next year as a graduate student. By 1961 he'd earned a Ph.D., and in 1986 he became director of the GI. He taught geophysics at UAF and in 1999 was appointed director of the International Arctic Research Center. His auroral research has formed the basis of the discipline of magnetospheric substorms. S.-I. Akasofu has earned many awards for his work. He has received the Chapman Medal from the Royal Astronomical Society of London, the Japan Academy Award, the John Fleming Medal from the American Geophysical Union, the University of Alaska Distinguished Alumnus Award, and the first Chapman Chair Professorship of the University of Alaska. In addition, he was given the Edith R. Bullock Prize for Excellence from the University of Alaska Foundation and the Japan Foreign Minister Award. In 2001, the American Association for the Advancement of Science awarded Dr. Akasofu the distinction of Fellow for his contributions to the study of the aurora and to the understanding of the sun and the Earth's magnetosphere.


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