Talks, film shows mark Chandra birth centenary

Chandrasekhar, who won the coveted Nobel Prize for Physics for his study on the evolution of stars, was remembered across the country and plans have been drawn up to celebrate his centenary all through the year.

Public lectures, international symposia, film shows and science popularisation initiatives will be held at regular intervals throughout the year beginning on Tuesday, the birth anniversary of the laureate.

Born on October 19, 1910, Chandrasekhar is regarded among the foremost astrophysicists of the 20th century as he was one of the first scientists to combine the study of physics with that of astronomy.

Chandra, as he was popularly known, proved that there was an upper limit to the mass of a white dwarf (a dying star).

This discovery—the Chandrasekhar limit—is basic to much of modern astrophysics, as it shows that stars much more massive than the Sun must either explode or form black holes.

Nehru Planetarium screened a special programme “Chandra: A stellar life” all through the day and it will also be screened at selected times through the coming year. Enrico Agapito’s film titled “Chandra: A journey with a star” was also screened.

A group of scientists, under the aegis of Centre for Advancement of Public Understanding of Science & Technology, has planned lectures, exhibitions and seminars while Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Astrophysics and Chennai-based Institute of Mathematical Sciences have already announced two international symposia in December and January to mark the event.