The breadth and depth of Birkeland's achievements are truly impressive. He had an imagination and intuition that brought him ahead of his time, to the extent that his results often met with resistance and disbelief. His model of the polar aurora was not fully accepted until satellite observations in the late 60's and early 70's proved him right. His application for funding experiments on nuclear energy was turned down. Birkeland even anticipated the concept of dark matter when he wrote that the greater part of the material masses in the universe is found not in the solar systems or nebulae, but in empty space. His statement would have been spot on if one were to submit an application on dark matter researchtoday.
His hypotheses were forward-looking, and so was his approach to science and innovation. Unique for his time, Birkeland combined theory with experimentation, simulations and calculations - an approach we are striving for even today. His Terrella experiments stand as prototypical examples of the value of establishing good models. With the Terrella (a magnetized sphere representing the earth) he brought space into the laboratory - no less. He was able to demonstrate how the polar aurora is gener
