Astronomical Contributions of the Trivandrum Observatory

Authors: Jayakrishnan R*

DOI: 10.23880/oaja-16000145

Volume 2, Issue 2

Abstract

Established in 1837 in the princely state of Travancore by His Highness Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma, the observatory served as the first scientific establishment of his kingdom. His vision to educate his people and popularize scientific thought made the Observatory a destination for inquisitive minds in the 19th century. Two comets were observed and their trajectories were calculated independently from the Trivandrum observatory in the year 1843 and 1844. A century later in 1941 a comet was independently observed. In 2022 the first light was achieved by the institution after a major overhaul of its facilities that was started in 2017. In 2023 the comet C/2023(ZTF) was tracked showcasing its present capabilities. Recently the comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) was also tracked. Though the Observatory today is challenged by city light pollution, incessant weather conditions and technology it continues to strive as a beacon of knowledge as per the vision of its founder.

Keywords: Trivandrum; Astronomy; Observatory

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