16-05-2025
Stamp unveiled to mark 125 years of Indian Institute of Astrophysics' Kodaikanal solar observatory
Bengaluru: Honouring India's solar research legacy, the department of posts Friday released a
commemorative stamp
marking the
125th anniversary
of
Kodaikanal Solar Observatory
, run by Bengaluru-headquartered
Indian Institute of Astrophysics
(IIA).
The stamp was unveiled by former Isro chairman and IIA governing council chairperson AS Kiran Kumar, Karnataka chief post master general S Rajendra Kumar and IIA director Annapurni Subramaniam.
The event highlighted the observatory's twin-domed structure. The right one houses a 6-inch telescope, first installed at Madras Observatory in 1850, remodelled in 1898, and relocated to Kodaikanal in 1900 by then director Michie Smith. The left dome's 8-inch telescope was shifted from Madras in 1930 and is now used for public outreach.
"The stamp features a high-resolution H-alpha image of the Sun taken on May 6, 2024 at the observatory, along with an inset of 'butterfly diagram' on the logo, tracking sunspot activity from 1904 to 2020," IIA said in a release.
"As a child, I collected stamps and first-day covers. Humanity has always strived to look beyond what the eye can see. Missions like Aditya-L1 continue the pursuit. IIA has upheld this legacy through its persistent solar observations. The 125 years of data collected by Kodaikanal Solar Observatory are invaluable for future astronomical research," Kiran Kumar said.
— Sutapa Dey
