Solar Physics at the Kodaikanal Observatory: A Historical Perspective

Abstract

The Kodaikanal Observatory traces its origins to the East India Company, which started an observatory in Madras “for promoting the knowledge of astronomy, geography, and navigation in India.” Observations began in 1787 at the initiative of William Petrie, an officer of the Company, with the use of two 3-in achromatic telescopes, two astronomical clocks with compound pendulums, and a transit instrument. By the early nineteenth century, the Madras Observatory had already established a reputation as a leading astronomical center devoted to work on the fundamental positions of stars, and a principal source of stellar positions for most of the southern hemisphere stars. John Goldingham (1796–1805, 1812–1830), T.G. Taylor (1830–1848),W.S. Jacob (1849–1858), and Norman R. Pogson (1861–1891) were successive Government Astronomers who led the activities in Madras. Scientific highlights of the work included a catalogue of 11,000 southern stars produced by theMadras Observatory in 1844 under Taylor’s direction using the new 5-ft transit instrument.