Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1962 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
1 instrument
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Vainu Bappu was born on August 10, 1927, in Chennai, as the only child of Manali Kukuzhi Bappu and Kallat Sunanna Bappu. His ancestors are from Thalassery, Kerala. His father was an astronomer at the Nizamiah Observatory in Andhra Pradesh. He attended the Harvard Graduate School of Astronomy for his PhD after obtaining a postgraduate degree from Madras University. He was the Director of Kodaikanal Observatory during the period 1960 - 1982. Under Dr. Bappu, in 1971 Kodaikanal Observatory became the Indian Institute of Astrophysics an autonomous research institute.
Repository
Archival history
The instrument was transferred from IIA library to IIA Archives
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
The instruments were acquired from Kodaikanal Solar Observatory
Content and structure area
Scope and content
This item was a magnetic compass which was used by M.K.Vainu Bappu during the visit to Kavalur for site survey. The magnetic compass is a tool used for determining direction on the surface of the Earth. It operates by using a magnetic pointer that aligns itself with the Earth's magnetic field. This type of compass is the oldest and most commonly used in various forms of transportation such as aircraft, ships, and land vehicles. The Earth's magnetic field acts as an enormous bar magnet with a North-South field that causes freely moving magnets to take on the same orientation. Although the direction of the Earth's magnetic field is not entirely parallel to the North-South axis of the globe, it is close enough to make an uncorrected compass a reasonably good guide. The inaccuracy, known as variation (or declination), varies in magnitude from point to point on Earth.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
This item transferred to the IIA archives have been preserved
Accruals
Further accruals are expected
System of arrangement
Arranged roughly by events
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Researchers must sign IIA Archival access agreement
Conditions governing reproduction
Copyright is retained by IIA Archives
Language of material
English
Script of material
Latin
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Instrument is in good condition
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
The originals were located in IIA Archives
Existence and location of copies
The original files are transferred to Bangalore campus, then processed and archived
Related units of description
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Vainu Bappu, M. K. (Subject)
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Archival description is based on ISAD(G), second edition.
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
Language(s)
English
Script(s)
Latin
Sources
Archivist's note
Processed by IIA Archives