Czech & Slovak comet discoverers
More than a half century ago belonged Czechoslovakia to the well respected countries of comet hunters. Observatory Skalnate Pleso was more than a decade a very succesful place of comet discoveries. Altogether 18 new comets were visually found here during years 1946-59. Most of them discovered Antonín Mrkos and Ľudmila Pajdušáková. But they were not alone - another comets from Skalnate Pleso Observatory got names after Bečvář, Kresák and Vozárova.
And to cover all Czech & Slovak comet hunters we have to mention also another three Czech discoverers - Lubos Kohoutek, Zdenka Vavrova and Milos Tichý, although their comets has no direct connection with Slovakia.
Antonín Bečvář
Antonín Bečvář, (1901-1965), Czech astronomer and meteorologist. He was known by his excelent charts of the sky. Propagator od astronomy in his excelent writings, he played important role in building of Observatory Skalnate Pleso. He discovered 2 comets.
Antonín Mrkos
Antoním 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.
Ľudmila Pajdušáková
Ľudmila Pajdušáková, (1916-1979), Slovak astronomer and third director of Skalnate Pleso Observatory became famous by her discoveries of 5 comets.
Ľubor Kresák
Ľubor Kresák, (1927-1994), well known Slovak astronomer, became the first professor of astronomy in Slovak Republic. He died meteors, minor planets and comets and connections between them.
Margita Kresáková
Margita Kresáková, (1927 - 2001), 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.
Luboš Kohoutek
Luboš Kohoutek, (* 1935) is a Czech astronomer, the author of the large scale catalogue of planetary nebulae and discoverer of different celestial objects. His discovery of comet 1973f made him well known in media.
Zdeňka Vávrová
Zdeňka Vávrová (* 1945) is a Czech astronomer. She worked at Klet Observatory for 20 years. She discovered more than hundred minor planets and co-discovered 1 short periodic comet.
Miloš Tichý (* 1966) is a Czech astronomer. He works at Kleť Observatory near České Budějovice. He is a co-founder of project KLENOT to search NEO objects. His name carries the periodic comet, which he discovered in 2000 and then recovered at its next apparition in 2008.
Tomáš Vorobjov
Tomáš Vorobjov (* 1984) is a Slovak amateur astronomer. He is a member of the International Astronomy Search Collaboration (IASC) team. He discovered many asteroids and one short periodic comet.