Balfour Stewart
Ionization and the Ionosphere
Balfour Stewart was the first to identify an electrified atmospheric
layer which could distort the magnetic field of the earth. This idea,
first postulated by Gauss in 1839, but published by Stewart in 1878, is
that of the Ionosphere. The Ionosphere is responsible for absorbing
Ultraviolet, Extreme Ultraviolet, and X-Ray radiation. This means that
is is also the location of the conversion of those waves into heat,
light, and charge through ionization.
Back
