  In the period from about 1890 to 1915 an interdisciplinary and unifying
research programme known as "cosmical physics" attracted much scientific and
public attention. It typically included aspects of the earth sciences (such as
magnetic storms and atmospheric electricity) combined with astronomical
subjects (such as the solar corona and cometary tails), but there was no
unanimity as to the precise meaning of cosmical physics, which collapsed after
World War I. The essay covers the history of cosmical physics as it unfolded in
particular in Germany, Austria, England and Scandinavia. Among the scientists
who contributed to the development of cosmical physics were Wilhelm Foerster
from Germany, Wilhelm Trabert from Austria, Kristian Birkeland from Norway and
Svante Arrhenius from Sweden. While cosmical physics did not usually involve a
cosmological dimension, both Birkeland and Arrhenius constructed cosmologies
based on their work on auroral and other phenomena.
