James Farquharson facts for kids

James Farquharson (1781–1843) was a Scottish minister and a very smart scientist. He was especially interested in weather and how it works. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is a big deal for scientists!

About James Farquharson

James Farquharson was born in 1781 in a place called Coull, Scotland. His dad was an excise officer. James went to school in Coull and then studied at King's College, Aberdeen. He earned his first degree in 1798. That same year, he became a schoolteacher in Alford, Aberdeenshire.

Soon after, he started studying to become a minister. On September 17, 1812, he officially became a minister for the Church of Scotland in Alford.

Because of his important scientific work, he was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1830. This is a very old and respected group of scientists. In 1837, King's College, Aberdeen gave him an honorary doctorate degree (LL.D.). He also became an honorary member of a French statistics society in 1838.

James Farquharson passed away in Alford on December 3, 1843.

His Scientific Discoveries

Farquharson wrote many important papers for the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. These papers shared his scientific findings.

Studying the Aurora Borealis

He spent many years studying the aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights. In 1823, he wrote a very detailed description of the aurora. In 1829, he shared new observations. He showed that the aurora's bright arches and streamers line up with Earth's magnetic field lines.

Farquharson believed the aurora was much lower than other scientists thought. He thought it was not much higher than the clouds. In 1830, he wrote that the aurora happens when water vapor turns into liquid, creating electricity. In 1839, he measured an aurora. He found it was less than 1 mile high. This showed it was connected to the height of the clouds. In 1842, he even saw an aurora that was between him and some low stratus clouds!

Other Weather Studies

In 1836, Farquharson wrote about how ice forms at the bottom of flowing water. This was a topic other scientists like François Arago had also studied.

He also investigated hoar frost. In 1840, he wrote about how cold and warm air move across flat land surrounded by hills. He looked at how this affected plants.

Other Writings

In 1831, Farquharson published an essay about the shape of Noah's Ark. He also wrote about the creatures Leviathan and Behemoth from the Old Testament. In 1838, he published a book about a part of the Bible's Book of Daniel.

He also kept detailed records of temperature for many years. He shared these records with the Royal Society. He also wrote about the parish of Alford for a book called the New Statistical Account of Scotland.

His Family

James Farquharson married Helen Tatlor in 1826. They had eight children together. Five sons and one daughter lived to be adults.