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Gustaf Gabriel Hällström (25 November 1775 – 2 June 1844) was a Finnish scientist. He was active in several fields, contributing to the establishment of an astronomical observatory in
Turku Turku ( ; ; , ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Southwest Finland. It is located on the southwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Aura River (Finland), River Aura. The population of Turku is approximately , while t ...
as well as initiating the earliest systematic meteorological observations in Finland. His children were ennobled in recognition of his achievements.


Biography

Gustaf Gabriel Hällström was born in
Ilmajoki Ilmajoki (; ) is a municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. Ilmajoki is a town and municipality situated in Finland's South Ostrobothnia region, founded in 1865. Ilmajoki has a population of 12,165 (28. February 2017)and covers an are ...
, Finland on 25 November 1775. He entered the
Royal Academy of Turku The Royal Academy of Turku or the Royal Academy of Åbo was the first university in Finland, and the only Finnish university that was founded when the country still was a part of Sweden. It was founded in 1640. In 1809, after Finland became a ...
as a student in 1792 and made a rapid career as an academic. He would remain tied to the academy throughout his life, also after it moved to
Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
in 1827, becoming president of the university (today known as
Helsinki University The University of Helsinki (, ; UH) is a public university in Helsinki, Finland. The university was founded in Turku in 1640 as the Royal Academy of Åbo under the Swedish Empire, and moved to Helsinki in 1828 under the sponsorship of Tsar Al ...
) for several years. He was made a professor of
physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...
already in 1801, after having abandoned his initial studies in
mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...
. He published his research widely, mainly in the form of dissertations and in ', the scientific journal of the
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences () is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, royal academies of Sweden. Founded on 2 June 1739, it is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization that takes special responsibility for promoting nat ...
, as well as in the journal of the
Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters The Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters (, , ) is a Finnish learned society for natural sciences, social sciences and humanities. It is a bilingual (Swedish and Finnish) science academy and the oldest of the four science academies in Finland. ...
, but also in foreign publications. His interests ranged from
thermodynamics Thermodynamics is a branch of physics that deals with heat, Work (thermodynamics), work, and temperature, and their relation to energy, entropy, and the physical properties of matter and radiation. The behavior of these quantities is governed b ...
to
acoustics Acoustics is a branch of physics that deals with the study of mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including topics such as vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician ...
and
meteorology Meteorology is the scientific study of the Earth's atmosphere and short-term atmospheric phenomena (i.e. weather), with a focus on weather forecasting. It has applications in the military, aviation, energy production, transport, agricultur ...
; "his dissertations in physics covered almost all the areas of the field of physics at that time." In addition, he was
ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...
as a priest in 1804 and received a
doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...
in
theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...
in 1826; he was the last professor of physics at the Royal Academy of Turku to be ordained as a priest in order to augment his salary (as priests had a certain level of guaranteed income). As a person, he has been described as "naturally conservative" and, especially in his later years, received criticism for being too cautious as an academic. He was respected as a scientist and in 1830 his children were
ennobled Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. Th ...
and subsequently had their surnames changed to '' af Hällström'' in recognition of their father's achievements. The minor planet 2640 Hällström is named after him.


Work


Physics and astronomy

In physics, Hällström's research spanned several areas. In 1805, he was awarded a prize by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for a thesis concerning the expansion of iron at different temperatures. Hällström managed to show that the relationship between the temperature of the metal and its degree of expansion was not a linear one. Another problem which he returned to frequently during his career was that of the effects of heat on water and the question of at what temperature water has the highest density; he was again awarded a prize in 1823 for a study in this field, supported by meticulous experiments. Within the field of acoustics, Hällström made research on
combination tone A combination tone (also called resultant tone or subjective tone)Combination Tone
, ''Britanni ...
s, with the help of experiments carried out on the
organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...
of
Turku Cathedral Turku Cathedral (, ) is the only medieval basilica in Finland and the Mother Church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. It is the central church of the Lutheran Archdiocese of Turku and the seat of the Lutheran Archbishop of Turku, Arch ...
. Hällström was instrumental in creating a rudimentary
observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysics, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. Th ...
in Turku and to engage initially Henrik Johan Walbeck and later
Friedrich Wilhelm Argelander Friedrich Wilhelm August Argelander (22 March 1799 – 17 February 1875) was a German astronomer. He is known for his determinations of stellar brightnesses, positions, and distances. Life and work Argelander was born in Memel in the Kingd ...
as astronomers there. He also made astronomical observations himself.


Meteorology

Gustaf Gabriel Hällström took the initiative to make the first meteorological observations in Finland. An early dissertation, published in 1804, concerned the phenomenon of night frost and was awarded a prize by an agricultural society (as this kind of research had important practical consequences for the agriculture in Finland). The systematic meteorological observations he had initiated yielded further subjects for his research, which also included studies of
aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...
e, the forming of ice on rivers and directions of prevailing winds in Finland.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hallstrom, Gustaf Gabriel 1775 births 1844 deaths Finnish scientists People from Ilmajoki Finnish meteorologists Finnish astronomers