Stefan Kürti´s Astro Web

Czech & Slovak comet discoverers

Margita Kresáková

Margita Kresáková, (1927-1994), born Vozárová was a Slovakian astronomer. She discovered a comet 1954 f at Skalnate Pleso Observatory. She studied comets and meteors. Kresákova is an author and co-author of more than 60 scientific papers.

Margita Vozárová worn on May 21, 1927, in Červená Skala, Slovakia. She studied astronomy at Comenius University in Bratislava and was graduated in 1952. Then she began to work at Skalnate Pleso Observatory. She joined other comet hunters there and became fifth Slovakian succesful comet hunter in 1954, when she discovered a new comet 1954 f. Here she met astronomer Lubor Kresák, whom she married later. When Lubor Kresák left Skalnate Pleso and moved to Bratislava, she followed him too. Both worked here at Astronomical Institute of Slovak Academy of Sciences.

Margita and Lubor Kresak´s got one daughter Katarina. They belong to a small group of astronomer couples, where both discovered an own comet. Besides Kresak´s only two husband-wife couple achieved this: A. Mrkos with Ľ. Pajdušáková and G. Shajn with P. Shajn.


                                                      

Asteroid discovered by Cornelis J. van Houten a Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld on Palomar plates taken by T. Gehrels on March 26, 1971 during Palomar survey was named to her honour   (9821) Gitakresáková.

Citation published in Minor Planet Circular:

Margita Kresáková (b. 1927) worked at the Astronomical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava. She was a very experienced meteor observer and comet hunter at Skalnaté Pleso Observatory. One comet carries her maiden name, Vozárová.

List of comets discovered by Margita Kresáková

References: