Hansteen

Hansteen, CHRISTOPH, a Norwegian astronomer, was born at Christiania, 26th September 1784. In 1814 he was appointed to the chair of Mathematics in the university of Christiania, and there, in 1819, published his famous work, Investigations into Terrestrial Magnetism, the methods of observation described in which have been generally followed since, and which he himself applied in the course of a journey to the east of Siberia in 1828-30. The scientific results of this journey were published in 1863. In 1821 he discovered the 'law of magnetic force' (see MAGNETISM). It was chiefly by his initiative that the astronomical and magnetic observatories at Christiania were founded. He was also professor of Mathematics in the School of Artillery, superintendent of the triangulation of Norway, and reorganiser of the national system of weights and measures. He died at Christiania, 11th April 1873. He published lectures on astronomy, a work on mechanics, another on geometry, several on terrestrial magnetism, and numerous memoirs, of which the greater part are inserted in the Magazin for Naturvidenskaberne.