Professor Meghnad Saha: The Life and Contributions of a Renowned Scientist

Professor Meghnad Saha
⬧ Great Indian scientist and astronomer Professor Meghnad Saha was born on October 6, 1893.
⬧ One of the most eminent scientists of India, Meghnad Saha was an astronomer of international repute. The base of his fame is the Saha equation. This equation explains the physical and chemical conditions in stars.
⬧ The credit goes to Professor Saha for the establishment of many important institutions like 'Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics' and 'Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science'.
⬧ He had his early education at Dhaka Collegiate School and later he studied at Dhaka College.
⬧ In the year 1917, he was appointed as Professor of Quantum Physics at the University College of Science, Calcutta.
⬧ Together with Satyendranath Bose, Professor Saha translated the research papers of Einstein and Minkowski into English language.
⬧ In the year 1919, a research paper of Saha was published in an Astrophysics Journal of America. This was the same research paper in which he propounded the 'Ionization Formula'.
⬧ This formula is capable of giving astronomers information about the internal temperature and pressure of the Sun and other stars.
⬧ The Saha equation is used in the study of interpreting the spectra of stars through thermal ionization of elements.
⬧ This equation is one of the basic tools for interpreting the spectra of stars in astrophysics. Based on this, the temperature of stars can be determined by studying the spectra of different stars.
⬧ Using Professor Saha's equation, the ionization states of the various elements that make up stars can be determined. Professor Saha also invented an instrument to measure the weight and pressure of solar rays.
⬧ Professor Meghnad Saha has served on several scientific institutions, societies; Such as the National Academy of Science, the Indian Physical Society, the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science along with the Department of Physics at Allahabad University and the Institute of Nuclear Physics at Calcutta (Kolkata).
⬧ The Institute of Nuclear Physics established by Saha in the year 1947 was named after him as 'Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics'. Apart from this, he founded the magazine Science and Culture and remained its editor till his death.
⬧ Along with being a great scientist, Professor Saha was also a freedom fighter. He also contributed to the independence of the country. While studying in Presidency College, Meghnad came in contact with the revolutionaries.
⬧ After this he also had contact with Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Rajendra Prasad. Underlining the importance of science in India and its prosperity, Professor Meghnad Saha has an immense contribution in building a modern and capable India.
⬧ Along with being a scientist, Professor Saha was also popular among the general public. He won India's first Lok Sabha election in the year 1952, as an independent candidate from Calcutta with a huge majority.
⬧ He died on February 16, 1956.