Luboš Kohoutek

Luboš Kohoutek
Luboš Kohoutek
	Kohoutek in 1974
Born	29 January 1935; Zábřeh, Czechoslovakia
Died	30 December 2023 (aged 88); Bergedorf, Hamburg, Germany
Education	Masaryk University
Known for	Discovery of Comet Kohoutek and other minor planets
	Scientific career
Fields	Planetary astronomy

Minor planets discovered: 76 ^[1]
see § List of discovered minor planets

Luboš Kohoutek (Czech pronunciation: [ˈkoɦou̯tɛk]; 29 January 1935 – 30 December 2023) was a Czech astronomer and a discoverer of minor planets and comets, including Comet Kohoutek which was visible to the naked eye in 1973.^[2]^[3] He also discovered a large number of planetary nebulae.^[4]

Biography

Kohoutek was born on 29 January 1935 to Hynek and Jarmila Kohoutek. His brother was the Czech composer Ctirad Kohoutek.

Kohoutek was interested in astronomy since high school. He studied physics and astronomy at universities in Brno and Prague (finished 1958). Then he started to work in the Astronomical Institute of Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, where he published a well-cited catalogue (Catalogue of Galactic Planetary Nebulae, 1967). Kohoutek obtained a long term position at the Bergedorf Observatory in Hamburg. After the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia (1968) he decided to stay in West Germany (1970). His discoveries in the 1970s made him well-known in the media. In later years, Kohoutek worked in observatories in Spain and Chile, studying planetary nebulae. He officially retired in 2001, yet kept researching at the Hamburg-Bergedorf Observatory. Kohoutek published 162 scientific works.^[3]

Kohoutek is most famous for his discovery of numerous comets, including periodic comets 75D/Kohoutek and 76P/West–Kohoutek–Ikemura, as well as the famously disappointing "Comet Kohoutek" (C/1973 E1).^[5]

Kohoutek also discovered numerous asteroids, including the Apollo asteroid 1865 Cerberus. The main-belt asteroid 1850 Kohoutek was named after him.^[2]

Kohoutek died on 30 December 2023, at the age of 88.^[6]

Discoveries

Kohoutek discovered supernova SN 1973f, 5 comets, and 76 minor planets.

List of discovered comets

75D/Kohoutek
76P/West–Kohoutek–Ikemura
Comet Kohoutek C/1973 E1 (Kohoutek)
C/1969 O1-A (Kohoutek)
C/1973 D1 (Kohoutek)

List of discovered minor planets

1834 Palach	22 August 1969	list
1840 Hus	26 October 1971	list
1841 Masaryk	26 October 1971	list
1842 Hynek	14 January 1972	list
1843 Jarmila	14 January 1972	list
1861 Komenský	24 November 1970	list
1865 Cerberus	26 October 1971	list
1875 Neruda	22 August 1969	list
1894 Haffner	26 October 1971	list
1895 Larink	26 October 1971	list
1896 Beer	26 October 1971	list
1897 Hind	26 October 1971	list
1898 Cowell	26 October 1971	list
1899 Crommelin	26 October 1971	list
1901 Moravia	14 January 1972	list
1931 Čapek	22 August 1969	list
1932 Jansky	26 October 1971	list
1933 Tinchen	14 January 1972	list
1942 Jablunka	30 September 1972	list
1963 Bezovec	9 February 1975	list

1995 Hajek	26 October 1971	list
1999 Hirayama	27 February 1973	list
2047 Smetana	26 October 1971	list
2055 Dvořák	19 February 1974	list
2073 Janáček	19 February 1974	list
2281 Biela	26 October 1971	list
2375 Radek	8 January 1975	list
2407 Haug	27 February 1973	list
2418 Voskovec-Werich	26 October 1971	list
2472 Bradman	27 February 1973	list
2541 Edebono	27 February 1973	list
2667 Oikawa	30 October 1967	list
2767 Takenouchi	30 October 1967	list
2838 Takase	26 October 1971	list
2900 Lubos Perek	14 January 1972	list
2901 Bagehot	27 February 1973	list
3081 Martinůboh	26 October 1971	list
3109 Machin	19 February 1974	list
3303 Merta	30 October 1967	list
3336 Grygar	26 October 1971	list

3337 Miloš	26 October 1971	list
3407 Jimmysimms	28 February 1973	list
3475 Fichte	4 October 1972	list
3514 Hooke	26 October 1971	list
3627 Sayers	28 February 1973	list
3635 Kreutz	21 November 1981	list
3769 Arthurmiller	30 October 1967	list ^[A]
3825 Nürnberg	30 October 1967	list
4137 Crabtree	24 November 1970	list
4425 Bilk	30 October 1967	list
5268 Černohorský	26 October 1971	list
6215 Mehdia	7 March 1973	list
(6431) 1967 UT	30 October 1967	list
(6680) 1970 WD	24 November 1970	list
(7044) 1971 UK	26 October 1971	list
7806 Umasslowell	26 October 1971	list
(8606) 1971 UG	26 October 1971	list
(8607) 1971 UT	26 October 1971	list
(8779) 1971 UH₁	26 October 1971	list
(9513) 1971 UN	26 October 1971	list

Co-discovery made with: ^A A. Kriete
10003 Caryhuang	26 October 1971	list
(10260) 1972 TC	4 October 1972	list
(10987) 1967 US	30 October 1967	list
(11250) 1972 AU	14 January 1972	list
(11436) 1969 QR	22 August 1969	list
(11783) 1971 UN₁	26 October 1971	list
(11784) 1971 UT₁	26 October 1971	list
(14311) 1971 UK₁	26 October 1971	list
(16351) 1971 US	26 October 1971	list
(20960) 1971 UR	26 October 1971	list
(24600) 1971 UQ	26 October 1971	list
24601 Valjean	26 October 1971	list
(29076) 1972 TR₈	4 October 1972	list
(37527) 1971 UJ₁	26 October 1971	list
(58094) 1972 AP	14 January 1972	list
(85118) 1971 UU	26 October 1971	list

References

^ "Minor Planet Discoverers (by number)". Minor Planet Center. 4 September 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
^ ^a ^b Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(1850) Kohoutek". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (1850) Kohoutek. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 148. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_1851. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
^ ^a ^b O'Meara, Stephen James (2007). Hidden treasures. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 420. ISBN 978-0-521-83704-0.
^ Kohoutek, L. (January 1972). "Hamburg Schmidt-camera survey of faint planetary nebulae. Cygnus-Perseus region". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 16: 291–300. Bibcode:1972A&A....16..291K. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
^ Mitton, Simon (15 November 1973). "Prospects for Comet Kohoutek". New Scientist. p. 464.
^ "Zemřel astronom Luboš Kohoutek. Objeviteli slavné komety bylo 88 let". Seznam Zprávy. Retrieved 6 January 2024.