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Copying from Category:20th-century Indian women scientists to Category:20th-century Indian scientists non-diffusing subcategory using Cat-a-lot

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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Nirupama Raghavan
| caption =
| image = [[file:Nirupama Raghavan died 2007.jpg|250px]]
| fields = [[Astrophysics]], [[Astronomy]]
| workplaces = [[Nehru Planetarium]] (Director)
| alma_mater = [[Indian Institute of Astrophysics]]
| doctoral_advisor = [[Vainu Bappu]]
| academic_advisors =
| doctoral_students =
| notable_students =
| known_for =
| author_abbrev_bot =
| author_abbrev_zoo =
| influences =
| influenced =
| awards =
| signature = 
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| footnotes =
| spouse =
}}
'''Nirupama Raghavan''' (19 July 1940, [[Madras]] – 23 February 2007, [[Chennai]]) was an Indian astrophysicist, weather scientist, historian of science and educator. She was the Director of the [[Nehru Planetarium]] in [[New Delhi]].

==Life==
Nirupama was born in Madras on 19 July 1940.<ref name=chama>{{cite journal|url=http://isaw.nyu.edu/members/alexander.jones-40nyu.edu/chama/CHAMAnews_6_2_200812.pdf|title=Obituaries|volume=6|number=2|year=2008|journal=CHAMA Newsletter}}</ref>

In 1959, she received an undergraduate degree in physics at [[Women's Christian College, Madras]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wccalumnae.wordpress.com/distinguished-alumni/|title=Distinguished alumni|publisher=Women's Christian College, Chennai|access-date=5 February 2019}}</ref> Her master's degree was from the [[Presidency College, Chennai|Presidency College]], which she followed up with a doctorate in astronomy with work at the [[Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur]] and the [[Kodaikanal Solar Observatory]] of the [[Indian Institute of Astrophysics]].

She married Raghavan, a metallurgist at [[Kharagpur]], and moved to the [[United States]] with him.<ref name=devika/>

Her thesis advisor was [[Vainu Bappu]].<ref name=chama/> Her dissertation (1968) investigated the line asymmetry in [[sunspot]]s and line profiles of carbon molecules.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Fifty Years of Solar Tower Telescope at Kodaikanal Observatory|journal=IIA Newsletter|page=13|year=2012|author1=Jagdev Singh|author2=Christina Birdie|volume=17|number=1}}</ref>

She died of cancer in February 2007 in Chennai.<ref name=chama/> To honour her achievements, especially in the outreach to students, a Space Fair was held at the Nehru Planetarium, Delhi, in March 2007.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/A-space-journey-of-a-different-kind/article14728374.ece|title=A space journey of a different kind|author=Madhur Tankha|date=3 March 2007|access-date=5 February 2019}}</ref>

==Career==
Nirupama Raghavan was the first woman in the field of observational astronomy in India.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy|volume=10|year=1985|page=22|title=Manali Kallat Vainu Bappu|author=J.C. Bhattacharyya|publisher=|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.211586|access-date=5 February 2019}}</ref>

On her family's return to India from the United States in 1982, she joined the Nehru Planetarium in New Delhi.<ref name=devika>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/2001/05/17/stories/13170786.htm|title=Fascinated by the stars|author=V.R. Devika|date=17 May 2001|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=5 February 2019}}{{dead link|date=April 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref name=chama/>

In 1985, she started the Amateur Astronomers Association in New Delhi.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Times of India|date=7 September 2009|url=https://www.pressreader.com/india/the-times-of-india-new-delhi-edition/20090907/281642481204653|title=Celestial passion unites them|author=Dipak Kumar Dash|access-date=5 February 2019}}</ref> The astrophysicists [[Priyamvada Natarajan]] and [[Sangeeta Malhotra]] as students were among those who were active in the association and conducted research with her.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=India Abroad|title=A Life of the Mind|date=12 March 2010|author=P. Rajendran|url=http://im.rediff.com/news/iapoy-pdf/indiaabroad20100312-dl.pdf|access-date=5 February 2019}}</ref> In the 1990s, she initiated a programme of telescope construction techniques with Chander Devgun for schools in New Delhi.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Dream 2047|volume=21|number=1|year=2018|url=http://vigyanprasar.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/dream-oct-2018-eng.pdf|title=Chander Devgun: Astronomer, science populariser and a pioneer of astrophotography in India|author=Mila Mitra|issn= 0972-169X|access-date=5 February 2019}}</ref>

She taught astrophysics at the [[Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur|Indian Institutes of Technology at Kanpur]] and [[Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi|Delhi]].<ref>{{cite news|author=G. Sundari|newspaper=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/first-female-astrophysicist/article2271695.ece|title=First female astrophysicist|date=2 March 2007|access-date=5 February 2019}}</ref>

Nirupama Raghavan published works in atmospheric science, especially in relation to the spread of pollutants.{{fact|date=August 2020}}

Her other major interest was in [[archaeo-astronomy]]. Among her contributions here was the identification of Arudra (the red star of the god Shiva) with [[Betelgeuse]], and the coincidence of the festival of Arudra Darsinam at [[Chidambaram]] with the ascent of [[Orion (constellation)|Orion]] in December.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Hindu|author=V.R. Devika|title=A moment in a movement|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/a-moment-in-a-movement/article24588910.ece|date=3 August 2018|access-date=5 February 2019}}</ref> She also showed evidence that the stellar arrangement of Orion provided the template for [[Chola dynasty|Chola]] bronze sculptures of [[Nataraja]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Cosmic Dance|author=Sharada Srinivasan|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/241662863|year=2007|page=133|access-date=5 February 2019}}</ref> Another observation was on the likely consecration of the Valleswarar Temple in [[Mylapore]], [[Chennai]] to have been on 6 June 1761, exactly upon the transit of [[Venus]] (''Valle'' being the [[Tamil language|Tamil]] name for the planet, to which the temple was dedicated).<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://prints.iiap.res.in/bitstream/2248/6448/1/Indian%20astronomy%20and%20the%20transits%20of%20Venus.pdf|title=Indian astronomy and the transit of Venus|author=R.C. Kapoor|page=281|year=2013|journal=Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage|volume=16|number=3|access-date=7 February 2019}}</ref>

==Selected works==
===Astrophysics===
* {{cite journal|author1=M. K. V. Bappu|author2=Nirupama Raghavan|title=An Analysis of the Cepheid Variable RT Aurigae|journal= Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society|volume=142|issue=3|pages=295–316|date=1 February 1969|doi=10.1093/mnras/142.3.295|doi-access=free}}
* {{cite journal|url=http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1970AJ.....75..258E|author1=Edgar Everhart|author2=Nirupama Raghavan|title=Changes in Total Energy for 392 Long-Period Comets, 1800-1970|journal=Astronomical Journal|volume=75|number=3|year=1970|page=258|doi= 10.1086/110974|bibcode=1970AJ.....75..258E}}
* {{cite journal|author2=George L. Withbroe|author1=Nirupama Raghavan|title=EUV analysis of an active region|doi=10.1007/BF00155149|journal=Solar Physics|year=1975|issue=1|volume=43|pages=117–128|s2cid=119761624}}
* {{cite journal|author=Nirupama Raghavan|title=A quantitative study of Ca II network geometry|journal=Solar Physics|year=1983|volume=89|pages=35–42|doi=10.1007/BF00211950|s2cid=119585593}}
* {{cite book|author=Nirupama Raghavan|title=Celestial Hide and Seek: The Game of Eclipses|publisher=National Book Trust|year=1997}}

===Weather science===
* {{cite journal|title=A Gaussian Model for Predicting SO2 Concentration in the City of Agra|author1=Nirupama Raghavan|author2=Pramila Goyal|author3=Swati Basu|journal= Atmospheric Environment| volume=17|number=II|year=1983}}
* {{cite journal|title=Prediction of inversion strengths and heights from A 1-D nocturnal boundary layer model|author1=Swati Basu|author2=Nirupama Raghavan|journal=Boundary-Layer Meteorology|volume=35|issue=1–2|pages=193–204|year=1986|doi=10.1007/BF00117308|s2cid=121693415}}
* {{cite journal|title=Prediction of Wind Speed, Direction and Diffusivity under Neutral Conditions for Tall Stacks|author2=Swati Basu|author1=Nirupama Raghavan|year=1988|journal=Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology|volume=27|number=3}}

===History of science===
* {{Cite journal|url=https://www.insa.nic.in/writereaddata/UpLoadedFiles/IJHS/Vol41_3_3_NRaghavan.pdf|author=Nirupama Raghavan|title=Is Siva Iconography Inspired by the Stars?|journal=Indian Journal of History of Science|year=2006|volume=41|number=3}}

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raghavan, Nirupama}}

[[Category:Indian astrophysicists]]
[[Category:Women's Christian College, Chennai alumni]]
[[Category:People from Chennai]]
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:Scientists from Chennai]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women scientists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian scientists]]

Nirupama Raghavan - Revision history

imported>Scorpions13256: Copying from Category:20th-century Indian women scientists to Category:20th-century Indian scientists non-diffusing subcategory using Cat-a-lot