Giants in History: Meghnad Saha

The scientist who described stars 

Meghnad Saha (6 October 1893 - 16 February 1956)

India

Meghnad Saha (6 October 1893 – 16 February 1956) was an Indian astrophysicist best known for formulating the Saha ionization equation which describes the chemical and physical properties of stars. The Saha equation relates the ionization state of a gas to the temperature of the light source. From the equation, the temperature of stars and relative abundance of chemical elements can be investigated from spectroscopic data. Saha was nominated repeatedly but unsuccessfully for the Nobel Prize in Physics. In addition to his contributions to astrophysics, Saha was also active in politics and education. He founded the journal Science and Culture, helmed several research institutes and scientific societies, and was elected to the Parliament of India in 1952.     

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