On hearing the name of Elon Musk, SpaceX, Tesla and He told that Shivan is of half Indian origin and the middle name of one of his sons is ‘Shekhar’.
So let us tell you that the scientist after whom Elon Musk has named his son is Subramanian Chandrashekhar. He was a Nobel laureate and an Indian-American scientist. Musk told that he has named his son in honor of Subramanian Chandrashekhar. This name connects to the heritage of their children.
Who is Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar: Who was Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar?
Subrahmanyan Chandrashekhar is one of the greatest scientists of India. He was born on 19 October 1910 in Lahore which was then a part of India. His family was always associated with education. His uncle Sir CV Raman was also a Nobel laureate scientist, from whom Chandrashekhar got his first inspiration for science. Since childhood, he was expert in mathematics and science. After completing primary education in India, he went to America for higher studies. There he took admission in Chicago University and remained a professor for several decades. While India gave him scientific thinking, America gave him the platform where his career reached its peak. He later became an American citizen and spent his life there.
Chandrashekhar’s America connection
Chandrashekhar was born in India but his real scientific journey flourished in America. In 1937 he reached Chicago University and stayed there for more than 50 years. He taught and did research in Physics and Astrophysics. His hard work not only influenced America, but also helped us understand the entire universe. He died in 1995 at the age of 84, but his legacy still lives on.
Received Nobel Prize in Physics in 1983
Chandrashekhar received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1983. This honor was for his theoretical studies on the structure and evolution of stars. It was shared with William A. Fowler. This research was so deep that scientists understood the entire secret of the birth, life and death of stars.
What is the formula for the death of stars?
Chandrashekhar’s most brilliant discovery is ‘Chandrashekhar Limit’ or ‘Chandrashekhar Seema’. He told that when a star exhausts its fuel, it shrinks and becomes a white dwarf, but not every star can do this. If the mass of the star is 1.4 times more than the mass of the Sun, then it will not become a white dwarf, but will explode and become a supernova. Then it can turn into a neutron star or a black hole. This limit of 1.4 times is called Chandrashekhar limit.
Why is this discovery so special? changed the universe
This discovery was a game-changer because it allowed scientists to know how stars are born, how they shine and how they die. This was the basic foundation for understanding cosmic phenomena like supernova and black hole. Chandrashekhar started working on this theory at the age of 19. His discovery is still the Bible of Astrophysics.
Why is Chandrashekhar in discussion now?
Businessman Elon Musk is married to Shivon Gillis. She is the executive director of Neuralink. Musk told in the podcast that Shivon is half Indian, but she did not grow up in India. His connection with India is ancestral, that is, there is Indian background in the family. Shivan’s childhood was spent in Canada as he was adopted in childhood. It is believed that his father had once gone abroad from India as a student. Musk also shared that the idea of naming his son ‘Shekhar’ came from Shivan.
Musk had shared this secret earlier also
This thing is not new. In 2023, Musk met India’s then Union Minister Rajiv Chandrashekhar at the UK’s AI Safety Summit. There too, Musk told that his son’s middle name is Chandrashekhar, which was named after Professor S. Chandrashekhar. After which Rajiv Chandrashekhar posted on It is named after physicist Prof. S. Chandrashekhar. Shivan also confirmed that we call our son ‘Shekhar’ for short, but the name was chosen in honor of the children’s heritage and the amazing Subramanian Chandrashekhar.
