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Comets
Czech & Slovak comet discoverers
źudmila Pajduáková
źudmila Pajduáková, (1916-1979), Slovak astronomer
and third director of Skalnate Pleso Observatory became famous by discoveries
of 5 comets.
Previously she was a teacher assistant and she worked as a teacher for 8 years.
In July 1944 she finished her career in teaching and started to work
at Skalnate Pleso Observatory. She finished her astronomy studies at
University in Bratislava in 1950. Since the beginning of her research
she photographed meterors and beside that she regurarly hunted for comets.
She started also systematic observation of minor planets at Skalnate Pleso.
She was ditector of Skalnate Pleso Observatory and Astronomical Institute
in Tatranska Lomnica during years
1958-1979. Those years she devoted to observations of Sun, especially
its corona by coronograph from Lomnitz Peak Obseratory. She was a
member of International Astronomy Union (IAU) since 1967.
She became famous by 5 visual discoveries of comets, all discovered by giant binocular
Somet Binar 25x100.
She ranked 5th on the list of woman comet dicoverers behind those hunters:
Carolyn S. Shoemaker (32 comets), Jeanne Mueller (15), Eleanor Helin (12) and Caroline Herschel (6).
But 50 years ago she was right behind Caroline Herschel
threatening her first rank
in total list of woman comet discoverers.
Asteroid 1982 UJ2
discovered by her exhusband Antonin Mrkos at Klet Observatory on 1982 Oct. 17 was named in her honour
(3636) Pajduáková.
(4567) Pajduáková = 1982 UJ2
Discovered 1982 Oct. 17 by A. Mrkos at Kle.
Named in memory of źudmila Pajduáková (1916-1979), the first Slovak woman astronomer,
a specialist in solar astronomy and recognized as discoverer of five comets. Some
time wife of the discoverer, she was the third director of the Skalnate Pleso Observatory and Astronimcal Institute
in Tatranská Lomnica.
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Foto: B.Marsden
List of comets discovered by Ludmila Pajdusakova
Foto: TRIFID
from left to right: M. Bélik, director of SÚAAH, ź. Pajduáková
from right to left: M. Znáik, the winner, Z. Bödők, runner up
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