Meghnad Saha: Indian Astrophysicist Who Revolutionised Astronomy With His 'Saha Ionisation Equation'

February 16, 2022 marked the 66th death anniversary of Indian astrophysicist Meghnad Saha, who is widely renowned for his 'Saha ionisation equation', mainly used to describe physical and chemical conditions in stars. It is also thanks to Saha's work astronomers can accurately relate the spectral classes of stars to their actual temperatures.

Meghnad Saha- A Visionary!

The late astrophysicist's research work on the thermal ionisation of elements led him to come up with what is now known as the Saha equation. As per the equation, it is the basic tool for interpreting the spectra of stars in astrophysics. Through the study of the ranges of various stars, one can find their temperature and, using Saha's equation, determine the ionisation state of the various elements making up the star. His work was also soon extended by Edward Arthur Milne and Ralph H. Fowler, as per Wikipedia.

Meghnad Saha also was the one who invented an instrument to measure the pressure and weight of solar rays and assisted in building numerous scientific institutions, such as the Institute of Nuclear Physics in Calcutta and the Physics Department in Allahabad University. The late astrophysicist founded the journal Science and Culture and was also the editor until he passed away.

Furthermore, Saha was also the leading spirit in organising several scientific societies, such as the Indian Institute of Science (1935), the Indian Physical Society (1934), National Academy of Science (1930). The visionary Indian was also the Director at the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science between 1953–1956. Founded in 1943, the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics in Kolkata is named after him as well.

History Of Meghnad Saha

Born on October 6, 1893, in Shaoratoli, a small village near Dhaka, in the former Bengal Presidency of British India (now Bangladesh), Meghnad Saha struggled to rise in life and was forced to leave Dhaka Collegiate School due to his participation in the Swadeshi movement.

Saha died on February 16, 1956, at the age of 62, due to a cardiac arrest in New Delhi while he was on his way to the office of the Planning Commission in Rashtrapati Bhavan. He reportedly collapsed a few yards away from there and passed away on the way to the hospital at 10:15 a.m. (IST).

Furthermore, reports also revealed that he had been suffering from hypertension for ten months before his death. His remains were cremated at the Keoratola crematorium in Kolkata the following day.

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