New Delhi, Aug. 28 -- On a mild July afternoon, the sun is playing hide and seek behind tufts of grey clouds, but visitors to the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (KSO), which is managed by the Bengaluru-headquartered Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) and located on a scenic campus in the Palani Hills in Tamil Nadu, are undaunted. They troop into the beautifully landscaped terrain with the spirit of jaunty picnickers who can scarcely be deterred by sporadic drizzles. They pause before flowers and trees to take photographs. Children run amok amid the lush environs.

Overlooking the road that leads to the observatory are bungalows for researchers and scholars, out of bounds to outsiders. But what awaits the latter at the end of a brief uph...