Professor P Devadas is an amateur astronomer from India. A fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and a member of the British Astronomical Association, the Astronomical Society of India, the Planetary Society and the Optical Society of India, Mr. Devadas heads the Tamil Nadu Astronomy Association. He teaches observational and practical astronomy and astrophysics to school and college students visiting the Tamil Nadu Science and Technology Centre, where he is called upon to give lectures.
A recipient of the Tamil Nadu State Award for popularising science, Mr. Devadas manufactures astronomical telescopes and has established an engineering firm in Chennai for the production of telescopes in India. The instruments are being supplied to research institutions, university departments, colleges, schools and amateurs.
Devadas’ love for astronomy began when he started visiting the Solar Physics Observatory in Kodaikanal as a collegian. Armed with a postgraduate degree in Physics, he plunged headlong into the world of amateur astronomy.
Peering into the night sky through his home telescope, Devadas has authored a host of observational reports, which include, “Banded structure of Venusian clouds”, “Origin of lunar ray deposits on the surface of the Moon” and “Surface structure of Mars”. His book, Igneous and volcanic origin of lunar and planetary craters, received kudos from none other than Patrick Moore, presenter of the BBC television programme The Sky at Night.