Recently, it has been 125 years of Kodaikanal Solar Observatory which is based in Tamil Nadu. It was established in 1889 and has been one of the oldest solar observatories across the world and has been highly devoting towards the working of solar research. This organisation is currently operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bangalore.
Following the drought of 1876-78, the need for a solar observatory was realized. The Madras Observatory that had been established by the East India Company had been recording the astronomical events but a dedicated and deemed observatory for that had become the need of the hour which could establish a relationship between solar activity and monsoon growth.
The foundation of this observatory was laid by Lord Wenlock who was then, the Governor of Madras in 1895 and regular observations began only somewhere after six years of the foundation.
Over the years, this observatory has housed many instruments.
- H-alpha Telescope - Used for disc imaging of the Sun.
- Spectroheliograph - Used for studying chromosphere
- Bhavnagar Telescope - It was the Newtonian telescope which was the largest at that time.
- White Light Active Region Monitor- Enables simultaneous observation of the photosphere and chromosphere.
There has been immense contributions from the Observatory in the following fields:
- Discovery of the Evershed effect who had once been the Director of the Observatory.
- Sunspot observations and data on solar radiations.
- Spectroscopic studies of the chromosphere and preferences.
The observatory maintains an archive of solar data which spans a period of more than a century. In the recent past, the observatory has went under a Digitization project to make accessible all the solar images which amounts to some 10 terabytes of data, including white images of sunspots.
The observatory is the oldest and the longest when it comes to data collection pertaining to the solar forms. Today, the observatory stands on a significant level in moving ahead with solar research.
Some ongoing research topics that have been undertaken by the Observatory which are as follows:-
- Solar activity and its impact on space weather.
- Study of solar flares and coronal mass ejections.
- Investigation of the magnetic field around the Sun.
- Solar-terrestrial relationship and it's impact on Earth's climate.
The observatory has been and is currently an active hotspot for research studies, holds seminars and workshops for research scholars, and different work opportunities from people across the country.
Solar energy has a bright future in India owing to the tropical and subtropical climates that cover the Indian Geography. Ranging from photovoltaic cells to big solar furnaces, solar energy holds elegant prospects in India as a shift towards non-conventional sources of energy.
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References:
- gktoday.com
- timesofindia.indiatimes.com
- pib.gov.in