| Collection | GB 0231 University of Aberdeen, Special Collections |
| Level | Fonds |
| Ref No | MS 3152 |
| Title | Records of the Balfour Stewart Auroral Laboratory and British Astronomical Association Aurora Section |
| Date | 1931 - 2014 |
| Extent | 224 boxes: 74 linear metres |
| Creator Name | British Astronomical Association Aurora Section (fl 1964 - current)
Balfour Stewart Auroral Laboratory, Department of Meteorology, University of Edinburgh (fl 1965 - 1975) |
| Administrative History | The aurora data in this collection came from the Balfour Stewart Auroral Laboratory at the University of Edinburgh and The British Astronomical Association Aurora Section.
James Paton collected the majority of data brought to the University of Aberdeen from the Balfour Stewart Auroral Laboratory at the University of Edinburgh. Paton joined the Department of Natural Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh in 1928, and became their first lecturer in meteorology in 1944. When a separate Department of Meteorology was created there in 1964 he was appointed head of department, a role in which he remained until his death in 1973. Dr Douglas H. McIntosh, who also collected aurora data at the Balfour Stewart Auroral Laboratory, was appointed Paton's successor in the Department of Meteorology. Paton published many works on auroral and noctilucent cloud phenomena, and served as Director of the British Astronomical Association Aurora Section from 1952 to 1973.
The British Astronomical Association for amateur astronomers was formed in 1890. The association circulates up-to-date astronomical information and observational material and provides awards for those who make significant contributions to astronomy. The Aurora Section of the British Astronomical Association collects observers' analyses of the aurora borealis in the northern hemisphere. Observations are collected from the United Kingdom and other European countries, Canada, the United States, Iceland and Spitsbergen, and they are made by members of the British Astronomical Association, other astronomical societies, individual observers, ships' officers at sea, and professional meteorologists. The section also collects observations of noctilucent clouds visible from May - August in the northern hemisphere.
The British Astronomical Association Aurora Section became involved with noctilucent cloud studies (NCS) in 1964 when Paton, as director, initiated an annual report in 'Meteorological Magazine'. His work was carried out between 1965 and 1973 under the auspices of the Balfour Stewart Auroral Laboratory, with a geophysical unit of the British Antarctic Survey from 1959. It was continued by staff in the Department of Meteorology after Paton's death in 1973, and in 1983 was taken over by the officers of the Aurora Section of the British Astronomical Association. |
| Source | The Balfour Stewart Auroral Laboratory data was collected by James Paton primarily and Douglas McIntosh. In August 1983, the Royal Society deposited the data in the University through the offices of Dr M. Gadsden, Department of Natural Philosophy, University of Aberdeen. The Royal Society was considered to be the ultimate 'owner' of the data. British Astronomical Association Aurora Section data was first deposited at the University of Aberdeen in 1986 by its director Ron Livesey, via the offices of Dr M. Gadsden, and several additional deposits have been received since (from Ron Livesey, Richard Miles, David Gavine and Ken Kennedy). |
| Description | The collection comprises visual, magnetic and radio observations of aurora, summaries of these observations, and records of non-occurences. Whilst the aurora borealis is the main focus of these studies, there are small amounts of data concerning auroral activity in the Southern Hemisphere. The collection covers key meteorological years: the International Polar Year (1932 - 1933), the International Geophysical Year (1957 - 1958), the International Year of Geophysical Co-operation (1959) and the International Quiet Sun Year (1964 - 1965). Noctlilucent cloud observations from 1964 also form part of this collection, and there are a variety of newsletters and comprehensive studies discussing aurorae and noctilucent clouds. Photographs of aurorae form a significant part of the collection. |
| Accruals | Yes |
| Arrangement | Divided into two sub-fonds determined by provenance, then divided into subjects which are chronologically ordered when possible and appropriate:
Balfour Stewart Auroral Laboratory:
Aurora visual observation sheets
Noctilucent cloud data
Specific observation studies
British Astronomical Association Aurora Section:
Auroral and magnetic observation papers
Noctilucent cloud papers
Aurora Section papers |
| Access Status | Open |
| Access Conditions | The records are available subject to the signed acceptance of the Department's access conditions. |
| Language | English |
| Physical Description | No physical conditions affecting use of collection. |
| Related Material | Papers of James Paton, Head of Department of Meteorology, University of Edinburgh (fl 1928 - 1973) (MS 3188). It comprises Paton's research papers and correspondence, together with related printed papers on meteorology, some items relating to his teaching responsibilities, miscellaneous unsorted photographs, and field notebooks of C.T.R. Wilson (1869 - 1959), physicist, dating from the 1920s.
Papers of C.T.R. Wilson (1869 - 1959), physicist, relating to his work on atmospheric physics, 1890 - 1959 (MS 3525) |
| Copies | Copies are held at the British Astronomical Association, Burlington House, London. |
| Publication Note | Details of the reports deposited here are discussed in published annual reports and technical papers in the British Astronomical Association Journal and in the British Meteorological Office's 'Marine Observer'. |
| Related Record | MS 3188 |
| MS 3525 |