Space Sci Rev DOI 10.1007/s11214-010-9693-4 Geomagnetic Observations for Main Field Studies: From Ground to Space J. Matzka · A. Chulliat · M. Mandea · C.C. Finlay · E. Qamili Received: 12 February 2010 / Accepted: 30 August 2010 © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010 Abstract Direct measurements of the geomagnetic field have been made for more than 400 years, beginning with individual determinations of the angle between geographic and magnetic North. This was followed by the start of continuous time series of full vector measurements at geomagnetic observatories and the beginning of geomagnetic repeat sta- tions surveys in the 19th century. In the second half of the 20th century, true global coverage with geomagnetic field measurements was accomplished by magnetometer payloads on low- Earth-orbiting satellites. This article describes the procedures and instruments for magnetic field measurements on ground and in space and covers geomagnetic observatories, repeat J. Matzka () DTU Space, Technical University of Denmark, Juliane Maries vej 30, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark e-mail:
[email protected] A. Chulliat Equipe de Géomagnétisme, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Université Paris-Diderot, INSU/CNRS, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France M. Mandea Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany Present address: M. Mandea Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris—IPGP, Université Paris-Diderot & CNRS, 5 rue Thomas Mann, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France C.C. Finlay Institut für Geophysik, ETH Zürich, Sonneggstr. 5, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland E. Qamili Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione di Roma 2, Via di Vigna Murata 605, 00143 Roma, Italy E.