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Modern Astronomical Developments in India

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 August 2015

Rajesh Kochhar
Rajesh Kochhar*
Affiliation:
Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Koramangala, Bangalore 560034, India e-mail: [email protected]

Extract

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Modern astronomy came to India in tow with the Europeans and was institutionalized more than 200 years ago by the (English) East India Company with the establishment in 1790 of Madras Observatory for assistance in navigational and geographical surveys. One hundred years later, in 1899, it was replaced by a solar observatory at Kodaikanal set up by the government to meet the European scientists’ demand for sunny skies and in the hope that a study of the Sun would help predict the failure of monsoons, the key factor then as now in Indian economy. It is mildly interesting to note that, when the scientific agenda was laid down by the Royal Society, no mention was made of climate or rains [1].

Type
II. Joint Discussions
Information
Highlights of Astronomy , Volume 11 , Issue 2: Highlights of Astronomy. As presented at the XXIIIrd General Assembly of the IAU (Part B), 1997 , 1998 , pp. 894 - 897
Copyright
Copyright © Kluwer 1998

References

(1) The hard-core information in this and subsequent sections comes from Kochhar, R. K. (1991) The Growth of Moderen Astronomy in India Vistas in Astronomy, 34. 69–105, and from Kochhar, R. K. and Narlikar, J. V. (1995) Astronomy in India: a Perspective., Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi.Google Scholar
(2) Khagol (A Bulletin of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune), (1997) January and April issues.Google Scholar
(3) Lok Sabha (lower house of Indian Parliament), unstarred question 2827, 11 December, 1996.Google Scholar
(4) HIROT Team (1996) Recent astronomical site survey at Hanle, Ladakh. Bull. Astr. Soc. India, 24, 859–869.Google Scholar
(5)Communication from Indian Space Research Organization, Bangalore.Google Scholar