{"id":21354,"date":"2021-10-29T11:28:41","date_gmt":"2021-10-29T09:28:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/?p=21354"},"modified":"2026-10-09T23:59:44","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T21:59:44","slug":"northern-lights-400-years-ago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\/","title":{"rendered":"400 years ago, a French scientist described the northern lights"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-mreobtcv-4adff1b5802c54cead1ae42724e176b7\">\n.avia-section.av-mreobtcv-4adff1b5802c54cead1ae42724e176b7{\nbackground-repeat:no-repeat;\nbackground-image:url(https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Copie-de-NOS-VOYAGES.jpg);\nbackground-position:50% 50%;\nbackground-attachment:scroll;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div id='av_section_1'  class='avia-section av-mreobtcv-4adff1b5802c54cead1ae42724e176b7 main_color avia-section-default avia-no-border-styling  avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_heading  avia-builder-el-first  avia-full-stretch avia-bg-style-scroll av-minimum-height av-minimum-height-50 av-height-50  container_wrap fullsize'  data-section-bg-repeat='stretch' data-av_minimum_height_pc='50' data-av_min_height_opt='50'><div class='container av-section-cont-open' ><main  role=\"main\" itemprop=\"mainContentOfPage\"  class='template-page content  av-content-full alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-21354'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'><\/div><\/div><\/main><!-- close content main element --><\/div><\/div><div id='after_section_1'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap fullsize'  ><div class='container av-section-cont-open' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-full alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-21354'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-mr9ormkv-ff4332ce329a58489e4cec35c71b696f\">\n#top .av-special-heading.av-mr9ormkv-ff4332ce329a58489e4cec35c71b696f{\npadding-bottom:10px;\n}\nbody .av-special-heading.av-mr9ormkv-ff4332ce329a58489e4cec35c71b696f .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{\nfont-size:25px;\n}\n.av-special-heading.av-mr9ormkv-ff4332ce329a58489e4cec35c71b696f .av-subheading{\nfont-size:15px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='av-special-heading av-mr9ormkv-ff4332ce329a58489e4cec35c71b696f av-special-heading-h1 blockquote modern-quote modern-centered  avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_section  el_before_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-first '><h1 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >400 YEARS AGO, A FRENCH SCIENTIST DISCOVERED THE AURORA BOREALIS<\/h1><div class=\"special-heading-border\"><div class=\"special-heading-inner-border\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-6rywtlx-7956fb81d736f94499f2682114b51f90 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Borealis in the north, australis in the south: everywhere, auroras fascinate young and old alike. According to the European Space Agency (ESA), <em>\u201cthe night is adorned with these fabulous colored veils when charged particles, ejected by the Sun and carried by the solar wind, rush along the Earth\u2019s magnetic field lines and collide with atoms in the upper atmosphere.\u201d<\/em> The nature of those atoms then determines the color of the auroras.<\/strong>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-62069ut-031ef263e3dee3a8e1b45c2bb88eb1ae\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-62069ut-031ef263e3dee3a8e1b45c2bb88eb1ae{\nheight:50px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-62069ut-031ef263e3dee3a8e1b45c2bb88eb1ae hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-3  el_before_av_hr  avia-builder-el-first '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>Although polar auroras are mostly seen in northern Canada and Scandinavia, they sometimes appear farther from the poles too, during magnetic storms linked to variations in solar activity, and solar flares in particular.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">It is hard to believe that such an enchanting spectacle is governed by nothing but the laws of nature. The Inuit, the Vikings and the Finns gave it a supernatural explanation: a Finnish legend, for example, says that polar auroras are created by foxes sweeping their tails and throwing up snow, and in Finnish, the word for auroras is \u201crevontulet,\u201d which literally means \u201cfox fire.\u201d Scientific interest in them took a long time to develop: although they had been described by Aristotle and Seneca in antiquity, polar auroras had a bad reputation in medieval Europe because, like earthquakes or comets, they were seen as bad omens. It was not until the 17th century that scientists began to look into the question.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">On the night of September 12 to 13, 1621, Pierre Gassendi, a French astronomer, philosopher and theologian, witnessed a display of the northern lights: <em>\u201cThere was a remarkable brightness which, on the night of the 12th to the 13th, filled the northern part of the sky, so much so that for many hours it imitated the most brilliant dawn,\u201d<\/em> he wrote. Some say he was the first to use the term \u201caurora borea,\u201d in 1649, while others credit Galileo, who was already using the expression \u201cboreale aurora\u201d in 1619.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Be that as it may, it was during this period that some scientists of the time grew curious about the subject, and this budding interest was then fueled by the surge in polar auroras that Europe experienced in the 18th century. <em>\u201cFrom that time on, people set about studying every circumstance surrounding them and seeking their explanation. It would take volumes to analyze all the systems that have been proposed,\u201d<\/em> Pierre-Adolphe Daguin summed up in his <em>Trait\u00e9 \u00e9l\u00e9mentaire de physique th\u00e9orique et exp\u00e9rimentale<\/em>, in 1861.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Three lines of explanation stood out: geomagnetism and solar activity, both of which we now know are involved in the formation of the northern lights, but also optical phenomena. Ren\u00e9 Descartes, the French mathematician, physicist and philosopher, postulated that auroras were sunlight reflected by ice particles in the atmosphere.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The question crossed national borders and divided scientists, as historian St\u00e9phane Le Gars shows in an article published in the <em>Revue d\u2019Histoire des Sciences<\/em>, through the controversy between Jean-Jacques Dortous de Mairan, a French physicist and mathematician, and Edmond Halley, the British astronomer: <em>\u201cWhile Halley invoked magnetic fluids emanating from the poles, Mairan refused to bring electricity or magnetism into it, favoring instead the role of the solar atmosphere.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">In his <em>Trait\u00e9 physique et historique de l\u2019aurore bor\u00e9ale<\/em>, published in 1733, de Mairan already suspected a link between the increased activity of our star and the occurrence of auroras. His theory was a resounding success until, in the following decade, the Swedes Anders Celsius and Olof Peter Hiorter noticed that compass needles were disturbed whenever polar auroras appeared, which revived the geomagnetism hypothesis.<\/p>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-5rhmvfp-aacb34dabfe9487cfe786d9a912bb66c\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-5rhmvfp-aacb34dabfe9487cfe786d9a912bb66c{\nheight:50px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-5rhmvfp-aacb34dabfe9487cfe786d9a912bb66c hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-4  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_hr '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"native \" class=\"\">\n<h2>In the 19th and 20th centuries, knowledge grows sharper<\/h2>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><em>\u201cThe cause of this phenomenon is entirely unknown, and we cannot even guess at it,\u201d<\/em> wrote Jean-Baptiste Biot on page 575 of volume 2 of his <em>Pr\u00e9cis de physique exp\u00e9rimental<\/em>, published in 1817. Three years later, he showed that the light of auroras is not polarized, which ruled out an optical origin, since the known optical phenomena (refraction, scattering or reflection) all produce some degree of polarization.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The great names of science turned their attention to the enigma: Celsius, Arago, Becquerel and Humboldt, among others. <em>\u201cThe influence of Humboldt and Arago in the scholarly world allowed them to encourage, in France but also abroad, scientific expeditions to the pole aimed at precisely determining variations in the Earth\u2019s magnetism across the globe,\u201d <\/em>explains St\u00e9phane Le Gars in his article. Research on the northern lights was in fact closely tied to the many sea expeditions that marked the 18th and 19th centuries. It was during an expedition, for instance, that the English navigator James Cook first described an aurora australis, in 1773, and in 1838 the La Recherche expedition set out with the particular aim of observing the northern lights and their link with geomagnetism. It was expeditions like these that ultimately made it possible, in the second half of the 19th century, to draw up maps showing where polar auroras occur, as presented by David Bernard in the <a href=\"https:\/\/planet-terre.ens-lyon.fr\/ressource\/aurores-polaires-Bernard.xml#idm90\">article<\/a> he devotes to polar auroras.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The enigma of the auroras\u2019 origin evolved along with scientific knowledge. At the beginning of the 20th century, new elements came into play, such as<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencesetavenir.fr\/decouvrir\/agenda\/jean-perrin_147795\"> cathode rays<\/a> (beams of electrons). Kristian Birkeland, a Norwegian physicist, built an experimental device, which he called the terrella, or \u201clittle earth\u201d in Latin: a vacuum chamber with, at its center, a metal sphere containing a magnet (representing the Earth and its magnetism), and a cathode (representing the solar winds that emit electrically charged particles). The scientist showed that artificial auroras formed around the magnetic poles of the setup, just as mapmakers had noted before him: this observation allowed him to prove that cathode rays from the Sun and the Earth\u2019s magnetism are both involved in the formation of polar auroras!<\/p>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\">A mystery completely solved?<\/h2>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">For more than 50 years, space exploration has helped us better understand the origin of the northern lights and observe auroras on other planets, such as Saturn, and even on a comet. But do we know everything there is to know about polar auroras?<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><em>\u201cSpace exploration has broken through most of the barriers that stubbornly stood in the way of explaining the sources of the particles that give rise to auroras. Probes have measured solar wind particles in interplanetary space and thus \u2018proved\u2019 that it exists; they have probed the Earth\u2019s entire magnetic shell (the magnetosphere) and helped us understand how the solar wind interacts with it; they have crossed the auroral acceleration zone, where electrons gain more energy (speed) before pouring into the upper atmosphere and creating auroras, and so on,\u201d<\/em> explains Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Pitout, an astrophysicist at the Research Institute in Astrophysics and Planetology (IRAP) in Toulouse, speaking to <em>Sciences et Avenir. <\/em><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\">Despite this progress, auroras continue to keep scientists busy: <em>\u201cWhen we present auroras to the public, it can seem as though we know everything, because we simplify things and tend to gloss over the gray areas. But there is still so much to explain!\u201d<\/em> Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Pitout tells us. <em>\u201cFor example, when the Sun violently expels some of its matter (what we call a coronal mass ejection), the Earth\u2019s magnetosphere doesn\u2019t always react the way we expect, so auroral activity is sometimes stronger or weaker than predicted.\u201d <\/em>The researcher also points out that some phenomena are occasionally mistaken for auroras, such as STEVE (for \u201cStrong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement\u201d), identified a little over three years ago, whose exact nature is still unknown.\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-j8lyqt-35b5f2753d6fb9032b8cbfc40a691597\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-j8lyqt-35b5f2753d6fb9032b8cbfc40a691597{\nheight:50px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-j8lyqt-35b5f2753d6fb9032b8cbfc40a691597 hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-5  el_after_av_hr  avia-builder-el-last '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: right;\"><em>Source: Sciences et Avenir, article by Margot Masson, September 13, 2021<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"native \" class=\"\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n<div  class='hr av-gql82t-45a94c0c2423b1793862157c4bd4f3d0 hr-default  avia-builder-el-6  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_heading '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-4jes8sl-feb46e819c59193b7b1e1ecc5792cf04\">\n#top .av-special-heading.av-4jes8sl-feb46e819c59193b7b1e1ecc5792cf04{\npadding-bottom:10px;\n}\nbody .av-special-heading.av-4jes8sl-feb46e819c59193b7b1e1ecc5792cf04 .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{\nfont-size:25px;\n}\n.av-special-heading.av-4jes8sl-feb46e819c59193b7b1e1ecc5792cf04 .av-subheading{\nfont-size:15px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='av-special-heading av-4jes8sl-feb46e819c59193b7b1e1ecc5792cf04 av-special-heading-h2 blockquote modern-quote modern-centered  avia-builder-el-7  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_layout_row  avia-builder-el-last '><h2 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >WANT TO SEE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS?<\/h2><div class=\"special-heading-border\"><div class=\"special-heading-inner-border\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='av-layout-grid-1'  class='av-layout-grid-container av-3v2gbhh-1771b5d8f7f05f5fb2dcccf92cb7e5fc entry-content-wrapper main_color av-flex-cells  avia-builder-el-8  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_heading  grid-row-not-first  container_wrap fullsize'  >\n<div class='flex_cell av-3b6muv9-b00988a8848ea399e2c179d6277132aa av-gridrow-cell av_one_half no_margin  avia-builder-el-9  el_before_av_cell_one_half  avia-builder-el-first '  ><div class='flex_cell_inner'>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-33h6uyt-f26789a73f7ce709f92f087b40c23e3c\">\n.avia-image-container.av-33h6uyt-f26789a73f7ce709f92f087b40c23e3c img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-33h6uyt-f26789a73f7ce709f92f087b40c23e3c .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-33h6uyt-f26789a73f7ce709f92f087b40c23e3c av-styling- av-img-linked avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-10  avia-builder-el-no-sibling '   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/voyage-norvege\/\" class='avia_image '  aria-label='2'><img decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" class='wp-image-14806 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-14806 avia_image ' src=\"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/2.jpg\" alt='' title='2'  height=\"1080\" width=\"1080\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/2.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/2-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/2-1030x1030.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/2-80x80.jpg 80w, https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/2-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/2-36x36.jpg 36w, https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/2-180x180.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/2-705x705.jpg 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><div class='flex_cell av-8smq85-8d8dd4b9eb0c028f8312ac44707b56dc av-gridrow-cell av_one_half no_margin  avia-builder-el-11  el_after_av_cell_one_half  avia-builder-el-last '  ><div class='flex_cell_inner'>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-209ftc5-21e92eadd6a5358880d7201d96e027ff\">\n.avia-image-container.av-209ftc5-21e92eadd6a5358880d7201d96e027ff img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-209ftc5-21e92eadd6a5358880d7201d96e027ff .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-209ftc5-21e92eadd6a5358880d7201d96e027ff av-styling- av-img-linked avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-12  avia-builder-el-no-sibling '   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" class='wp-image- avia-img-lazy-loading-not- avia_image ' src=\"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/3.jpg\" alt='' title=''   itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"  \/><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><div id='after_grid_row_1'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap fullsize'  ><div class='container av-section-cont-open' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-full alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-21354'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-1iva8f9-710dde5965d490c9be4afa4b2390cae2\">\n#top .av-special-heading.av-1iva8f9-710dde5965d490c9be4afa4b2390cae2{\npadding-bottom:10px;\n}\nbody .av-special-heading.av-1iva8f9-710dde5965d490c9be4afa4b2390cae2 .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{\nfont-size:25px;\n}\n.av-special-heading.av-1iva8f9-710dde5965d490c9be4afa4b2390cae2 .av-subheading{\nfont-size:15px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='av-special-heading av-1iva8f9-710dde5965d490c9be4afa4b2390cae2 av-special-heading-h2 blockquote modern-quote modern-centered  avia-builder-el-13  el_after_av_layout_row  el_before_av_hr  avia-builder-el-first '><h2 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >TO BOOK ONE OF THESE VOYAGES<\/h2><div class=\"special-heading-border\"><div class=\"special-heading-inner-border\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-1a0vm3p-8caf0d5ab0ee646792dda076b2e451e9\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-1a0vm3p-8caf0d5ab0ee646792dda076b2e451e9{\nheight:50px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-1a0vm3p-8caf0d5ab0ee646792dda076b2e451e9 hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-14  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_button '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div  class='avia-button-wrap av-t8r2kl-7965ca06c93bfcb522a0c31a2f512a53-wrap avia-button-center  avia-builder-el-15  el_after_av_hr  avia-builder-el-last '><a href='https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/contact\/'  class='avia-button av-t8r2kl-7965ca06c93bfcb522a0c31a2f512a53 av-link-btn avia-icon_select-no avia-size-small avia-position-center avia-color-dark'   aria-label=\"CONTACT US\"><span class='avia_iconbox_title' >CONTACT US<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":16610,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[108],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arctic-science"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>400 years ago, a Frenchman described the northern lights<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"400 years ago, a Frenchman described the northern lights\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Latitude Blanche\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CieLatitudeBlanche\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-10-29T09:28:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-10-09T21:59:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Copie-de-NOS-VOYAGES.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Latitude Blanche\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Latitude Blanche\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"14 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/en\\\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/en\\\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Latitude Blanche\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/fc252d4d9b0391cb99cd2cf95e60ad17\"},\"headline\":\"400 years ago, a French scientist described the northern lights\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-10-29T09:28:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-09T21:59:44+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/en\\\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2426,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/en\\\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/Copie-de-NOS-VOYAGES.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"WHEN SCIENCE EXPLAINS THE ARCTIC\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/en\\\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/en\\\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\\\/\",\"name\":\"400 years ago, a Frenchman described the northern lights\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/en\\\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/en\\\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/Copie-de-NOS-VOYAGES.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-10-29T09:28:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-09T21:59:44+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/en\\\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/en\\\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/en\\\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/Copie-de-NOS-VOYAGES.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/Copie-de-NOS-VOYAGES.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1080,\"caption\":\"Northern lights from aboard Polarfront\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/en\\\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Accueil\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/en\\\/home\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"400 years ago, a French scientist described the northern lights\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Latitude Blanche\",\"description\":\"The Polar French Line\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":[\"Organization\",\"TravelAgency\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Latitude Blanche\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/latitude-blanche-logo-carre-600px.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/latitude-blanche-logo-carre-600px.png\",\"width\":600,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"Latitude Blanche\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/CieLatitudeBlanche\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/polarfront_ship\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/fr.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/latitude-blanche\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/channel\\\/UCTiBdqgj5eSdcQvfwakcLJw\\\/\"],\"description\":\"A French shipping company founded in 2017 and owner of the expedition ship Polarfront: small-group voyages to Svalbard, Norway and Greenland.\",\"address\":{\"@type\":\"PostalAddress\",\"streetAddress\":\"2 rue Henri Barbusse\",\"postalCode\":\"13001\",\"addressLocality\":\"Marseille\",\"addressCountry\":\"FR\"},\"telephone\":\"+33 4 13 94 04 37\",\"email\":\"voyages@latitudeblanche.com\",\"foundingDate\":\"2017\",\"founder\":{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Yann Le Bellec\"},\"identifier\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValue\",\"propertyID\":\"Atout France\",\"value\":\"IM013190016\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.latitudeblanche.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/fc252d4d9b0391cb99cd2cf95e60ad17\",\"name\":\"Latitude Blanche\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"400 years ago, a Frenchman described the northern lights","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"400 years ago, a Frenchman described the northern lights","og_url":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\/","og_site_name":"Latitude Blanche","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CieLatitudeBlanche\/","article_published_time":"2021-10-29T09:28:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-10-09T21:59:44+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Copie-de-NOS-VOYAGES.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Latitude Blanche","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Latitude Blanche","Est. reading time":"14 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\/"},"author":{"name":"Latitude Blanche","@id":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/fc252d4d9b0391cb99cd2cf95e60ad17"},"headline":"400 years ago, a French scientist described the northern lights","datePublished":"2021-10-29T09:28:41+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-09T21:59:44+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\/"},"wordCount":2426,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Copie-de-NOS-VOYAGES.jpg","articleSection":["WHEN SCIENCE EXPLAINS THE ARCTIC"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\/","url":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\/","name":"400 years ago, a Frenchman described the northern lights","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Copie-de-NOS-VOYAGES.jpg","datePublished":"2021-10-29T09:28:41+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-09T21:59:44+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Copie-de-NOS-VOYAGES.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Copie-de-NOS-VOYAGES.jpg","width":1920,"height":1080,"caption":"Northern lights from aboard Polarfront"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/northern-lights-400-years-ago\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Accueil","item":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/home\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"400 years ago, a French scientist described the northern lights"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/","name":"Latitude Blanche","description":"The Polar French Line","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":["Organization","TravelAgency"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/#organization","name":"Latitude Blanche","url":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/latitude-blanche-logo-carre-600px.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/latitude-blanche-logo-carre-600px.png","width":600,"height":600,"caption":"Latitude Blanche"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CieLatitudeBlanche\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/polarfront_ship\/","https:\/\/fr.linkedin.com\/company\/latitude-blanche","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCTiBdqgj5eSdcQvfwakcLJw\/"],"description":"A French shipping company founded in 2017 and owner of the expedition ship Polarfront: small-group voyages to Svalbard, Norway and Greenland.","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"2 rue Henri Barbusse","postalCode":"13001","addressLocality":"Marseille","addressCountry":"FR"},"telephone":"+33 4 13 94 04 37","email":"voyages@latitudeblanche.com","foundingDate":"2017","founder":{"@type":"Person","name":"Yann Le Bellec"},"identifier":{"@type":"PropertyValue","propertyID":"Atout France","value":"IM013190016"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/fc252d4d9b0391cb99cd2cf95e60ad17","name":"Latitude Blanche"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21354"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21354\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21429,"href":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21354\/revisions\/21429"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.latitudeblanche.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}