Olof Petrus (or Peter) Hiorter (or Hjorter) (1696–1750) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either ...

. After studying in the Netherlands, he was appointed lecturer at the University of Uppsala in 1732 to fill the vacant position of

Anders Celsius Anders Celsius (; 27 November 170125 April 1744) was a Swedish astronomer, physicist and mathematician. He was professor of astronomy at Uppsala University from 1730 to 1744, but traveled from 1732 to 1735 visiting notable observatories in Germ ...

then on his grand tour of European observatories. From 1737 onwards, he studied together with Celsius the

aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

phenomenon and a number of astronomy subjects (solar eclipse, comet like the one of 1744, latitude measurements). Hiorter was the first to connect the aurora to magnetic disturbances.

Pehr Wilhelm Wargentin Pehr Wilhelm Wargentin ( Sunne parish, Jämtlands län 11 September 1717 ( OS) – Stockholm 13 December 1783), Swedish astronomer and demographer. Wargentin was the son of the vicar of Sunne Wilhelm Wargentin (1670–1735) and his spouse Ch ...

was his pupil. Hiorter was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1745 and appointed ''Observator Regius'' - "Royal Astronomer" in 1747.

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Olof Hiorter
1696 births 1750 deaths 18th-century Swedish astronomers Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences {{Sweden-scientist-stub