Kodaikanal Tower Tunnel Telescope
Context:
A new method for exploring the Sun’s mysteries has been discovered through analysing the magnetic field across various layers of the solar atmosphere, utilising data from the Kodaikanal Tower Tunnel Telescope.
More on News:
- The solar atmosphere consists of multiple layers connected by magnetic fields, which play a crucial role in transferring energy and mass from the inner layers to the outer layers.
- This process, known as the “coronal heating problem,” and the generation of the solar wind are driven primarily by these magnetic fields.
- Multiline spectropolarimetry is a technique that captures these magnetic fields at different atmospheric layers.
- Recent research has shown that this method is effective in revealing the magnetic structures of sunspots, umbral flashes, and chromospheric changes during solar flares.
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Kodaikanal Solar Observatory The Kodaikanal Solar Observatory, operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, was established in 1899. It is located on the southern tip of the Palani Hills. Notably, it was where the Evershed effect—an apparent radial flow of gas in the penumbra of sunspots—was first observed in January 1909. Purpose: The observatory was founded to investigate the relationship between solar activity and monsoon patterns in India. Historical Context: The Madras Observatory, established by the British East India Company in 1792, was the first of its kind in the region. In April 1899, the Madras Observatory was merged with the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory following a reorganisation of Indian observatories. |