A Short History of the Development of Space Physics Based on Studies of Geomagnetic Storms

Abstract

Space physics is one of the rapidly developing scientific fields, covering space from the sun to a distance of about 100 times between the sun and the earth, the region called the heliosphere. It includes parts of solar physics, geomagnetism (a study of geomagnetic storms), ionospheric physics, auroral physics, cosmic ray physics and planetary physics. The rapid progress in space physics owes a long history of debates and controversies among these sub-fields, as well as the advent of satellites and space probs, which began during the 1960s. A study of geomagnetic storms has an interesting development preceding space physics, so that it may be worthwhile to study history of space physics by following the development of the history of geomagnetic storms. The author has joined in space physics in its earliest days.