Solar Telescopes

Date & Time: 14th October 2020: 4:00PM

Title: Solar Telescopes : Description of my Association with Kodaikanal and Udaipur

Abstract: This talk is a description of the evolution of my own ideas on solar telescopes, starting with my first encounter with the sun at Kodaikanal and culminating in the building of the Multi Application Solar Telescope on an island site in Lake Fatehsagar of Udaipur, Rajasthan. In the course of this evolution, I will bring out the influence of 3 very different directors of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics on my own assimilation of knowledge and accumulation of experience. I will also describe how the early liberal policies of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics prepared me for the task of eventually building a modest sized solar telescope. I will also explain how the culture of rigorous reviews adopted in the Indian Space Department gave me very important lessons on on core essentials of building a solar telescope. I will conclude with a brief description of the Multi Application Solar Telescope.