Antonín Bečvář (ˈantoɲiːn ˈbɛtʃvaːr̝̊; June 10, 1901 – January 10, 1965) was a Czech

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

 astronomer

Astronomer

An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...

 who was active in Slovakia

Slovakia

The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

. He was born (and died) in Stará Boleslav. Among his chief achievements is the foundation of the Skalnaté Pleso Observatory

Skalnaté Pleso Observatory

Observatórium Skalnaté pleso is an astronomical observatory in Slovakia. There is also a meteorological observatory. It is near Tatranská Lomnica and has IAU observatory code 056. The name means "Rocky Lake" .The observatory produced the popular sky atlas Skalnate Pleso Atlas of the Heavens by A...

 and the discovery of the comet C/1947 F2 (Bečvář) (also known by the designations 1947 III and 1947c).

Bečvář is particularly important for his star chart

Star chart

A star chart is a map of the night sky. Astronomers divide these into grids to use them more easily. They are used to identify and locate astronomical objects such as stars, constellations and galaxies. They have been used for human navigation since time immemorial...

s: he led the compilation of the Atlas Coeli Skalnate Pleso (1951), published by Sky Publishing Corporation as the Skalnate Pleso Atlas of the Heavens

Skalnate Pleso Atlas of the Heavens

The Skalnaté Pleso Atlas of the Heavens is a set of 16 celestial charts covering the entire sky. It is named after the Skalnaté Pleso Observatory in Slovakia where it was produced...

, which was the state-of-the-art atlas of its kind until Wil Tirion

Wil Tirion

Wil Tirion is a Dutch uranographer . His most famous work, Sky Atlas 2000.0, is renowned by astronomers for its accuracy and beauty. The second edition of his most complete work, Uranometria 2000.0, was published in 2001 by Willmann-Bell. He is also responsible for the sky charts found in many...

's "Sky Atlas 2000.0" in 1981. He also compiled Atlas eclipticalis, 1950.0 (1958), Atlas borealis 1950.0 (1962), and Atlas australis 1950.0 (1964).

The asteroid

Asteroid

Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...

 4567 Bečvář

4567 Becvár

4567 Bečvář is a main belt asteroid with an orbital period of 1518.5011011 days .The asteroid was discovered on September 17, 1982.-References:...

 and the crater Bečvář

Becvár (crater)

Bečvář is a lunar crater that is located near the equator on the far side of the Moon from the Earth. It lies to the northeast of the crater Necho, within that feature's ray system. To the north-northeast is the crater Gregory....

 on the Moon

Moon

The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...

 were named in his honour. American Avant-garde

Avant-garde

Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....

 composer John Cage

John Cage

John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...

 used Bečvář's star charts as the basis of several works: Atlas Eclipticalis (1961–62), Etudes Australes

Etudes Australes

Etudes Australes is a set of etudes for piano solo by John Cage, composed in 1974–75 for Grete Sultan. It comprises 32 indeterminate pieces written using star charts as source material. The etudes, conceived as duets for two independent hands, are extremely difficult to play...

(1974–75), Etudes Boreales

Etudes Boreales

Etudes Boreales is a set of etudes for cello and/or piano composed by John Cage in 1978. The set is a small counterpart to Cage's other etude collections - Etudes Australes for piano and Freeman Etudes for violin....

(1978) and Freeman Etudes

Freeman Etudes

Freeman Etudes are a set of etudes for solo violin composed by John Cage. Like the earlier Etudes Australes for piano, these works are incredibly complex, nearly impossible to perform, and represented for Cage the "practicality of the impossible" as an answer to the notion that resolving the...

(1977–80, 1989–90).

External links

• Becvar's sky atlases
• Star Map in Galactic Perspective Uses imagery from Becvar's Atlas of the Heavens.