Antonín Rükl (September 22, 1932 – July 12, 2016) was a Czech

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either ...

, cartographer, and author. He was born in

Čáslav Čáslav (; german: Tschaslau) is a town in Kutná Hora District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 10,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Administ ...

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

. As a student he developed what was to be a lifelong interest in

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

. He graduated from the

Czech Technical University Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU, cs, České vysoké učení technické v Praze, ČVUT) is one of the largest universities in the Czech Republic with 8 faculties, and is one of the oldest institutes of technology in Central Europe. It ...

in 1956, then joined the staff of the astronomical department of the Institute of Geodesy in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

. In 1960 he joined the Prague Planetarium, eventually becoming deputy director and then head. He also became chairman of the Planetary Section of the Czechoslovak Astronomical Society and served as vice president of the International Planetarium Directors Conference from 1996 until 1999. He retired at the end of 1999.Zemřel přední český astronom Antonín Rükl. Vědu o vesmíru chtěl přiblížit široké veřejnosti
rozhlas.cz (Czech) During his career he was a popularizer of astronomy and authored many books on the subject. He was skilled in

cartography Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an i ...

and

selenography Selenography is the study of the surface and physical features of the Moon (also known as geography of the Moon, or selenodesy). Like geography and areography, selenography is a subdiscipline within the field of planetary science. Historica ...

, the skill of mapping the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

. He illustrated many of his own books, including the highly regarded ''Atlas of the Moon''.Ramotowski, Becky (2007) "Moon should be the star in coming nightly drama", '' San Antonio Express-News'', 26 March 2007 He was married to Sonja. They had a daughter Jane and son Mike.

Bibliography

''Incomplete list:'' * ''Atlas of the Moon'', 2004, Sky Publishing Corp, . * ''The Constellation Guide Book'', 2000, . * ''Moon, Mars and Venus'', Reed Dump, 1976, . * ''The Amateur Astronomer'', Gallery Books, 1985, . * ''Hamlyn Atlas of the Moon'', Hamlyn, 1991, . * ''A Guide to the Stars, Constellations and Planets'', Caxton Editions, 2000, . * ''Maps of Lunar Hemispheres, 1:10000000'', D. Reidel, Dordrecht, 1972. * ''Skeleton Map of the Moon, 1:6000000'', Central Institute of Geodesy and Cartography, Prague, 1965. * ''The Constellations''. * ''The Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Stars and Planets'', The Hamlyn Publishing Group Limited, Prague, 1988. . * ''Maps of Lunar Hemispheres''

References

1932 births 2016 deaths Czech astronomers Selenographers People from Čáslav Czech Technical University in Prague alumni {{Europe-astronomer-stub