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Astronomical Institute

Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

Zdeněk Ceplecha

*1929
E-mail: ceplecha@asu.cas.cz
Interplanetary Matter


Research fields: Minor bodies of the solar system, meteors, meteoroid interaction of interplanetary bodies with the Earth's atmosphere. 1952 graduated from Charles University, Prague, 1956 PhD in Astronomy, 1967 DSc in Astrophysics, since 1951 working at the Astronomical Institute. 1977-1993 Head of the Interplanetary Matter Department, 1968-1971 Research Associate to the Smithsonian Institution USA, founder of the European Fireball Network. In 1994 became one of the 35 Founding Members of the newly established Learned Society of the Czech Republic. Published 177 papers on meteors, fireballs, comets and on atmospheric interaction and classification of meteoroids, succeeded in taking double-station rotating-shutter photographs of a meteorite fall in 1959 (Příbram multiple fall), the first scientific photographs of such an event ever made. Awards: 1984 'G.P. Merrill Award' from the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, 1970 'Laureate of the State Award', asteroid No. 2198 named 'CEPLECHA', 1989 'The Gold Medal for Physical Sciences' from the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, 2004 'F.Nušl Award'.