* Astronomy

The Mira variable R Reticuli was discovered by Chinthamani Ragoonatha Chary at the Madras Observatory in India in 1867. Chary was the first Indian in modern history to make a significant astronomical discovery. Chary noted that the star which was observed by astronomer T. Moottooswamy Pillai with a Meridian Circle on February 9, 1864 was not visible when observed in January 1866 but could be spotted on January 18, 1867.

Title: C. RAGOONATHA CHARY AND HIS VARIABLE STARS
Authors: N. Kameswara Rao , A.Vagiswari, Priya Thakur & Christina Birdie

It did happen on the night of January 1866. Pogson (1867) describes this event in the Annual report of the Madras Observatory thus 'The detection of a new and interesting variable star, far south, is due to the First Native Assistant C. Ragoonatha Chary.' It was first casually observed with the Meridian Circle on 9 February 1864, as an ordinary star of 8 1/2 magnitude (by Moottooswamy), but when next looked for, in January 1866, was no longer visible in the dark field of the circle telescope, 5 1/2 inches in aperture. It must then have been under the 12th magnitude. It was, however, re-observed on 16 January 1867, and its variability there by proved by the above named observer. The subsequent light comparisons, on twenty six nights up to 7 April showed that it attained a maximum brilliancy of 7 3/4 - magnitude about the middle of February and that its period of variation or interval between two successive maxima is most probably about nine months. The place of this new variable star, which will be known as R. Reticuli Var.1, is Right Ascension 4h 32m 6.1s and North Polar distance 153° 19' 14" for the epoch of 1 January 1860. Figure 3 shows the observations of R Reticuli in 1867.

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