Chandra

- Vashanti Rahaman

Its full name is “The Chandra X-Ray Observatory,” but almost everyone calls it Chandra. Launched into orbit in 1999, the powerful X-ray telescope was named in honor of one of the most respected astrophysicists of the twentieth century. His name was Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, but almost everyone called him Chandra.

In July of 1930, Chandra left India to study in England. Soon after the voyage began, his ship entered rough waters. Chandra became seasick and lonely.

After all, he was only nineteen, and he missed his relatives and friends.

But Chandra was no ordinary teenager. He already had a university degree in physics, and was now on his way to Britain’s famous Cambridge University.

As soon as the seasickness left him, he resumed his studies. None of the partying on the ship distracted Chandra. With patient courtesy, he refused invitations to join the fun. Instead, he kept working. Before the voyage ended, he had made a discovery. Fifty-three years later, that discovery would help win him the great honor of a Nobel Prize.

Describing the Universe

At Cambridge, Chandra studied astrophysics, which means he used physics, chemistry, and mathematics to describe the universe. Meanwhile, he kept working on the discovery he had made during his voyage. Finally, in 1935, he presented this work at a major meeting of astronomers.