The discovery of over one hundred minor planets defines the professional trajectory of Czech astronomer Lenka Kotková. Based at the Ondřejov Observatory, she has spent her career contributing to the fields of spectroscopic and photometric observation, focusing on the identification of binary asteroids alongside colleagues Petr Pravec and Peter Kušnirák within the department of interplanetary matter.
Academic Background
Born in 1973 in Dobřichovice, Kotková pursued her higher education at Charles University in Prague. She specialized in meteorology at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics. This academic foundation supported her subsequent transition into professional astronomical research at the Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences.
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At the Ondřejov Observatory, Kotková engaged in the development of astronomical databases and rigorous data processing. Her research output includes the identification of the Mars-crosser asteroid 9671 Hemera and the Hilda family asteroid 21804 Václavneumann. Currently, she serves as an observant within the stellar department, utilizing the two-metre Ondřejov telescope to conduct her work.
Recognition and Eponyms
In 2000, the Czech Astronomical Society awarded her the Zdeněk Kvíz Award, recognizing her research regarding variable stars. Her contributions are also marked by several celestial objects named in her honor or by her hand: colleagues Petr Pravec and Marek Wolf discovered the asteroid 10390 Lenka in 1997. Additionally, Kotková named the asteroid 60001 Adélka after her daughter in 1999 and 7897 Bohuška after her mother in 1995.
Fast facts
- Born: 1973, Dobřichovice, Czechia
- Citizenship: Czech Republic
- Education: Charles University
- Employer: Astronomical Institute of Czech Academy of Sciences
- Primary observatory: Ondřejov Observatory
- Notable award: Zdeněk Kvíz Award (2000)
- Key research area: Near-earth asteroids and binary systems
Questions readers ask
What is Lenka Kotková's current role?
She works as an observant in the stellar department at the Ondřejov Observatory.
Which asteroids are named after her family members?
She named 60001 Adélka after her daughter and 7897 Bohuška after her mother.
Achievements
- Held posts at Astronomical Institute of Czech Academy of Sciences and Ondřejov Observatory
- Educated at Charles University
- Fields of research: astronomy
