established in London, where Benjamin Wilson (1721–1788) agreed to become
Bergman’s correspondent. Göte Carelid, who collected and transcribed the letters to
Bergman from his foreign correspondents, lists 84 scientists that Bergman corresponded with during his career [6]. Wilson was not only an accomplished physicist
working in the field of electricity and a correspondent of Benjamin Franklin
2 in
Philadelphia, but also a skilled artist. As Bergman had started to study electrical
phenomena (Sect. 5.2), Wilson was a perfect contact, and of Bergman’s letters to
Wilson, five where published in Philosophical Transactions. One of Bergman’s
experiments was demonstrated in the Royal Society and was communicated by
Wilson to Franklin [7]. Bergman also demonstrated experiments by Wilson in the
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm and published an excerpt from
one of Wilson letters describing some electrical experiments [8]. Next, Ferner
travelled to Paris, where he continued to search for possible contacts for Bergman.
5.1 Astronomical Research
As a student, Bergman had spent much time in the Observatory in Uppsala.
Bergman’s first original paper on astronomy, Remarks on silent fires, was published
in 1760 [9]. In this paper, Bergman relates his own, and others, observations of
lightning phenomena without any audible thunder during the last winter. The nature
of the lightning was still not known with certainty, although its connection with
electricity had recently been established. There was also confusion with other
atmospheric phenomena such as auroras and falling stars. Bergman speculated on a
possible connection with several earthquakes during the same period. An earthquake could perhaps release flammable particles from the underground which
would collect at high altitude and ignite. Bergman also wrote two, what we today
would call review-papers, summarising published research. The first of these papers
appeared in 1759 and dealt with the rainbow, [10] the second appeared in 1760;
here Bergman returned to the topic of his 1755 dissertation, On the twilights [11].
Bergman realised that the twilights were a very fortunate phenomenon:
To be thrown from the brightest day to a dark night, and to see the sun from the deepest
darkness, would certainly bring about the greatest inconvenience. So rapid and strong
changes would soon destroy the animals’ eyes, many wanderers and travellers would be
lost and birds would fall to their destruction. All of this has the wise Creator prevented by
adding an atmosphere or circle of air to our Earth, so that we do not immediately lose all
light although the sun has went under the horizon, and also not kept in complete darkness
until she appear again, but the change between day and night occurs gradually through the
twilights.
2
Benjamin Franklin was one of the foremost authorities on electricity in the mid-eighteenth
century.
58
5 Bergman’s Early Scientific Career
Bergman’s correspondent. Göte Carelid, who collected and transcribed the letters to
Bergman from his foreign correspondents, lists 84 scientists that Bergman corresponded with during his career [6]. Wilson was not only an accomplished physicist
working in the field of electricity and a correspondent of Benjamin Franklin
2 in
Philadelphia, but also a skilled artist. As Bergman had started to study electrical
phenomena (Sect. 5.2), Wilson was a perfect contact, and of Bergman’s letters to
Wilson, five where published in Philosophical Transactions. One of Bergman’s
experiments was demonstrated in the Royal Society and was communicated by
Wilson to Franklin [7]. Bergman also demonstrated experiments by Wilson in the
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm and published an excerpt from
one of Wilson letters describing some electrical experiments [8]. Next, Ferner
travelled to Paris, where he continued to search for possible contacts for Bergman.
5.1 Astronomical Research
As a student, Bergman had spent much time in the Observatory in Uppsala.
Bergman’s first original paper on astronomy, Remarks on silent fires, was published
in 1760 [9]. In this paper, Bergman relates his own, and others, observations of
lightning phenomena without any audible thunder during the last winter. The nature
of the lightning was still not known with certainty, although its connection with
electricity had recently been established. There was also confusion with other
atmospheric phenomena such as auroras and falling stars. Bergman speculated on a
possible connection with several earthquakes during the same period. An earthquake could perhaps release flammable particles from the underground which
would collect at high altitude and ignite. Bergman also wrote two, what we today
would call review-papers, summarising published research. The first of these papers
appeared in 1759 and dealt with the rainbow, [10] the second appeared in 1760;
here Bergman returned to the topic of his 1755 dissertation, On the twilights [11].
Bergman realised that the twilights were a very fortunate phenomenon:
To be thrown from the brightest day to a dark night, and to see the sun from the deepest
darkness, would certainly bring about the greatest inconvenience. So rapid and strong
changes would soon destroy the animals’ eyes, many wanderers and travellers would be
lost and birds would fall to their destruction. All of this has the wise Creator prevented by
adding an atmosphere or circle of air to our Earth, so that we do not immediately lose all
light although the sun has went under the horizon, and also not kept in complete darkness
until she appear again, but the change between day and night occurs gradually through the
twilights.
2
Benjamin Franklin was one of the foremost authorities on electricity in the mid-eighteenth
century.
58
5 Bergman’s Early Scientific Career