Who was the Chandra X-Ray observatory named after, and why?
iwnit Mar 20th, 2009 1) “The Chandra X-ray Observatory is a satellite launched on STS-93 by NASA on July 23, 1999. It was named in honor of Indian-American physicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar who is known for determining the mass limit for white dwarf stars to become neutron stars. “Chandra” also means “moon” or “luminous” in Sanskrit.” Source and further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandra_X-Ray_Observatory 2) “Padma Vibhushan Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, FRS (Tamil: சுப்பிரமணியன் சந்திரசேகர்), English IPA: /ˌtʃʌndrəˈʃeɪkɑr/)[2] (October 19, 1910 – August 21, 1995)[3] was an Indian born American astrophysicist. He was a Nobel laureate in physics along with William Alfred Fowler for their work in the theoretical structure and evolution of stars. He was the nephew of Indian Nobel Laureate Sir C. V. Raman. Chandrasekhar served on the University of Chicago faculty from 1937 until his death in 1995 at the age of 84. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1953
