India Post Unveils Commemorative Stamp Celebrating 125 Years of Kodaikanal Solar Observatory.

National

In May 2025, the Department of Posts (DoP), under the Ministry of Communications (MoC), Government of India, released a ₹5 commemorative postage stamp to mark 125 years of the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (KSO), Tamil Nadu.


      - The launch event was held at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, Karnataka.

      - The stamp features an H-alpha image of the Sun captured at KSO on May 6, 2024.

      - The release was officiated by S. Rajendra Kumar, Chief Postmaster General, Karnataka Circle, and attended by A. S. Kiran Kumar, Chairperson of IIA and former ISRO Chairman.

Main Point :-   (i) Established on April 1, 1899, KSO is located at 2,343 meters altitude in the Palani Hills, Tamil Nadu.

      (ii) Operated by IIA, it focuses on Solar Spectroscopy, Sunspot Monitoring, Helioseismology, Magnetic Field Studies, and Long-term Solar Activity.

(iii) It is India’s oldest astronomical observatory and holds one of the world's longest continuous solar image archives with over 45,000 digitized records.

          ____________________________