One of the best-known Czech scientists, theoretical astronomer Prof. Jan Palouš, a member of the Academy Council of the ASCR, continues his discourse in part two of an interview about differences between astronomy of the 19th and the 21 centuries, computer simulation of Space, about striking fact that the Sun is not a binary-star and the finiteness of Space. / and Marina Hužvárová.
A conference honored the late Prof. Zdeněk Švestka, one of the great defining personalities of twentieth-century solar physics. His main scientific interest focused on solar flares. During his year at Ondřejov, he became an expert in flare spectra. Later his interests extended into white-light flares, proton flares, and their radio signatures (type II and IV bursts), which were suggestive of shock-acceleration of particles. The conference, organized by the Astronomical Institute, took place on 23-27 June 2014 in Prague. Zdeněk Švestka, born on 30 September 1925 in Prague, passed away on 2 April 2013 in Bunschoten. and Petr Heinzel,Marian Karlický, František Fárník.
The time evolutlon of the metalliclty wlthln the Galaxy has been analysed on the base of published data for star clusters. The resulting age-metalliclty relation seems to split into two independent paths, passing the same age range over 10^10 years. The lower relationship resembles that for the Magellanic Clouds. Such a picture of the chemical evolutlon of the galactic matter is consistent wlth the observed division of the considered sample of open clusters into two groups differing in metallicity and spatial distribution, similarly to the division found for globular clusters. The metal-poor open clusters resemble metal-rich globulars. This can suggest that our galaxy has evolved from spherical metal-poor configuration represented in the considered sample of star clusters by metal-poor globulars, through a thick dlsk phase wlth the middle metallicity up to thin metal-rich disk wlth its representative
metal-rich open clusters. The transition between each of the above phases was more or less abrupt in its characteristic chemical and spatial properties.
Meteor stream membership criteria us ed in evaluating potential associations between individual meteor orbits and the mean orbit of a stream are discussed on the basis of precise photographic orbits of some meteor streams (the Taurids, Geminids and Perseids). Serious shortcomings of the D-criterion are disclosed and suggestions on a more relevant use of the criteria for estimating stream memberships are presented, with attention paid to the distributions of the orbital elements of the streams.
The distribution of open clusters in the Galaxy plane has been studied taking advantage of recent data. It is shown that clusters have a tendency to be localized in Galactic longitudes 120°-300° which coincide with the direction of Magellanic Clouds and Magellanic Stream. Two age peculiarities of the spatial distribution of open clusters are given. The dependence of linear diameters in their distance from the Galaxy centre is discussed. A supposition is made about the necessity to correct parameters of the zero-age main sequence for objects of early spectral classes and of interstellar absorption.
The data processing unit within the framework of the Intershock project is a general-purpose computer modified to be installed onboard the satellite. The instrument inputs have analog digital and impulse sensors. it generates digital arrays to be stored in a
long-time memory (LTM). The data processing unit´s operations are functionally determined by programs stored in the processor memory. In this specific case the instrument is intended for a comprehensive study of the structure of shock waves in the space plasma. The instrument has a reprogramming system which can make onflight changes in the instrument´s scheduled operations so that the instrument can solve a different problem which conforms with the instrument capabilities and the software used.
High-dispersion CaII and K, CaII IR 18542 A, Hα, Hβ, and D, emission line profiles of quiescent prominences have been recorded in Stará Lesná Observatory. After data reduction, a full set of calibrated profiles is used to discuss semiempirical non-LTE prominence models.