Stefan Kürti´s Astro Web

Czech & Slovak comet discoverers

Antonín Mrkos

Antonín Mrkos, (1918-1996), Czech astronomer studied comets and minor planets. During his work at observatories Skalnate Pleso and Lomnitz Peak, Slovakia, he visually found 11 new comets.

Primary profession od Antonín Mrkos was teacher and although most of his career he devoted to astronomy, after became a director of Klet Observatory he returned also to his previous profession. He lectured astronomy at universities in Prague and Ceske Budejovice.

He "discovered" astronomy during his studies near Prague. From here he often visited the Observatory at Petrin, in Prague. There he learned how to grind glass for telescopes. He taught for several years, since 1946 he devoted his life to astronomy, when he started to work at Skalnate Pleso Observatory. Besides his daily astronomical duties he finished his astronomy studies at University in Bratislava. More than 10 years (1950-1961) he worked at Lomnicky Stit Observatory. He took part on two Soviet Polar expeditions in Antartic in years 1957-59 and 1961-1963, where he studied mainly auroras.


Mrkos became a director of Klet Observatory, near Ceske Budějovice in 1965 after he was fired from Skalanate Pleso. He made for Klet Observatory a big Maksutov camera for tracking comets and minor planets. He discovered more than 270 asteroids and he added to his comets discoveries from Skalnate Pleso period another two comets from Klet.

Asteroid 1969 PC discovered by L. Chernych from Crimea on 1969 Aug. 11 was named in his honour (1832) Mrkos.

Citation published in Minor Planet Circular:

Named in honor of Antonín Mrkos (1918-1996), Director of Kleť Observatory in Czechoslovakia, well known for his contribution to cometary astronomy. He was the founder and for many years head of Kleť Observatory who initiated the Kleť minor planet survey, the first one in Czechoslovakia.

List of comets discovered by Antonín Mrkos

References: magazines Říše hvězd, Kozmos