ИСТИНА

The Russian network of magnetic and meteorological observatories was founded in the 30s of the 19th century by the efforts of Adolf Kupfer with a great support of Alexander von Humboldt and Carl Friedrich Gauss. As a result, in 1829 regular measurements in St. Petersburg and Kazan were initiated. Then steadily the network of observatories significantly expanded. In 1837 the first volume of "Meteorological and magnetic observations in the Russian Empire" with information on operating observatories was published. In the 1880–1890s the existing network of observatories was upgraded and re-equipped with modern geophysical instrumentation. By the end of the 19th century more than 140 meteorological and magnetic observatories were in operation within the European and Asian parts of Russia and covered a wide geographical area. The head institution, which aggregated data from all Russian observatories was in St. Petersburg (then it moved to Pavlovsk and later to Voeikovo). Currently, the Russian observational network provides one of the longest geomagnetic data series in the world. The never‐ending history of research on electromagnetic ultra‐low‐frequency (ULF) waves with periods from tens of minutes to fractions of seconds is an excellent example, though on a small scale, of the science evolution, and unpredictability of its ideas and practical applications. The first measurements of electromagnetic field variations with sensitive magnetometers started in the southern parts of Russia and later the Soviet Union for detecting electromagnetic precursors of earthquakes. Further scientific studies discovered a realm of ULF phenomena in the near‐Earth environment.