Expeditions
Since 1999 I travel with my friends for observing an astronomical phenomena. Most of all it is because of total solar eclipses. These expeditions are called SAROS, founded by Vaclav Knoll in 1995. Beside SAROS expeditions I travel for total or else interesting lunar eclipses. These expeditions are called TRITOS (SAROS and TRITOS - periods of repeating of solar and lunar eclipses in same sequences and with similar conditions; SAROS period lasts 18 years 10/11 days and about 8 hours, during the period occur 43 solar and 29 lunar eclipses; TRITOS is three times longer period). The bellowing list shows expedition I attended.
IX. expedice SAROS in Uganda
- Hybrid solar eclipse on 3rd November, 2013
- 29th October - 7th November, 2013, travel by flight from Prague via Brussel to Entebbe; total eclipse was the shortest in my life and thanks to this kind of phenomenon was possible to capture solar chromosphere and corona during solarmax. It was the first hybrid eclipse of history in solar maximum captured and processed by modern digital era.
- Succesful eclipse observed from field nearby Jamyemonen Primary School of Pokwero, Uganda; only 19 seconds of total eclipse
- Leaders of the expedition: Jan Sládeček, Lukas Gornisiewicz
- Results of observation processed by prof. M. Druckmüllerem, Czech article with photos, Video, Sky during eclipse (photo)
Expedition Dark Canary sky, 2013
- 27th September - 7th November, 2013; observing of dark sky, Milky way, airglow, zodiacal light; visitation of volcano national natural parks Teide, La Palma observatories...
- Captured red and green airglow above Los Muchachos, La Palma
- Leaders of expedition: Pavel Gabzdyl, Petr Horálek
- Photo of red and green airglow, Milky way above Pico de Teide, Tenerife panoramas, La Palma panoramas, La Palma shadow, Anticrepuscular rays from San Martin, La Palma
Expedition Perseids, 2013, Ivan Dolac, Hvar (Croatia)
- Observing of maximum annual meteor shower Perseid around 13th August 2013
- Observed every night from 6th to 15th August above small village Ivan Dolac, all nights were clear skies, during night of maximum there were around 600 meteors captured
- Leaders of expedition: Petr Horálek, Kateřina Horálková
- Photo of Perseid maximum
VIII. expedition SAROS do Austrálie
- Total solar eclipse on 14th November 2012
- 4th - 23rd November, 2012, travel by flight via Soul to Brisbane, by car to Cairns; because of bad weather moving to outback. The eclipse observed beside Mulligan Hwy, nearby village Mt. Carbine. Also visitation of natural beauties of Queensland (Great barier reef, parks...). The lonely chapter was observing natural dark southern sky.
- 2 minutes long eclipse was beautiful, very low (14° above horizon), the solar corona was shaped to rays as the solar activity went to its maximum
- Leaders of the expedition: Petr Horálek, Daniel Sokol
- Czech article with photos, Video, Sky during eclipse (1), Sky during eclipse (2)
V. expedition TRITOS, Ko Lan (Thailand)
IV. expediton TRITOS, Strání (Czech republic)
- Total lunar eclipse on 15th June, 2011
- 15th - 16th June, 2011, nearby Strání, White Carpathians
- The eclipse was the 5th longest of the century and also one of the darkest ones because of passin through the center of Earth's shadow and volcano eruption (Island - Grímsvötn, Chile - Puyehue); sky was clear and totality lasted over 100 minutes!
- Leaders of the expedition: Petr Horálek, Dalibor Hanžl
- Images, Video
Expedition Quadrantids, 2011, Seč (Czech republic)
- Observing of maximum of Quadrantid meteor shower on 4th January, 2011
- 3rd - 4th January, 2011, nearby my cottage on Seč reservior, clear sky and very low temperature, after the dawn occured very significant partial solar eclipse
- Leader of the expedition: Petr Horálek
- Observation report (IMO)
VII. expedition SAROS in Pacific
- Total solar eclipse on 11th July, 2010
- 3rd - 17th July, 2010, travel by flight via Soul and Auckland to Rarotonga (Cook Islands) and Mangaia, where occured the total eclipse; many natural and cultural monuments, observing of naturally dark southern sky, meeting interesting personalities - Ron Royer, Kari Hull, Rick Fienberg
- In the position of the Sun was overcast, we saw onlz dramatic changes of the sky above us, where was clear sky
- Leaders of the expeditions: Hana Druckmüllerová, Petr Horálek, TA TravelQuest
- Book with my article about Cook's paradise, Video
VI. expedition SAROS in China
- Total solar eclipse on 22nd July, 2009
- 17th July - 15th August, travel by fight to Sanghai, by train to HangZhou, after the eclipse by train to Cheng-Du, by flight to Tibet, visitation of Lhasa, Everest Base Camp, Nam-Tso lake..., return in China by train, visitation of Xi'an and Beijing
- The longest solar eclipse of the century, observed in HangZhou nearby West Lake (5 minutes 18 seconds), not so clear sky, fantastic experience in the middle of crowd euphoria of the east culture
- Leaders of the expedition: Petr Skalák, Petr Horálek, Miroslav Spurný, Peter Buchlák
- Video
III. expedition TRITOS, Železná Ruda (Czech republic)
- Partial lunar eclipse on 16th August, 2008
- 16th - 17th August, 2008, south of Bohemia in surrounding of Lipno reservoir and Železná Ruda
- The Moon was covered by the Earth's shadow of almost 81 percent of its diameter and during the eclipse was visible significant dark column caused by ash of Kasatochi volcano, which erupted 6 days before the eclipse
- Leader of the expedition: Petr Horálek
- Video, Images
V. expedition SAROS in Russia
- Total solar eclipse on 1st August, 2008
- 24th July - 7th August, 2008, travel by train from Žilina (Slovakia) via Ukraine to Moscow and via Transsiberian Railway to Novosibirsk
- Short eclipse (2 minutes 18 seconds), observing from embankment of Ob river, beautiful scenery and amazing expirience with the crowd russian euphoria
- Leaders of the expedition: Dalibor Hanžl, Martin Lehký, Petr Skalák
- Video, Image 1, Image 2
II. expedition TRITOS, Sklabiňa (Slovak republic)
- Total lunar eclipse on 21st February, 2008
- 20th - 21st February, 2008, nearby village called Sklabiňa in Mala Fatra mountains
- We saw the first half of the eclipse, then came clouds from the west; it was one of the lightest total lunar eclipses I saw
- Leaders of the expedition: Petr Horálek, Dalibor Hanžl
- Drawing of the eclipse, Images, Video
Expedition Quadrantids, 2008, Seč (Czech republic)
- Observing of maximum of Quadrantid meteor shower on 4th January, 2008
- 3rd - 4th January, 2011, nearby my cottage on Seč reservior, clear sky was just around one hour
- Leader of the expedition: Petr Horálek
- Observation report (IMO)
Expedition for comet 17P Holmes in Germany
- Observing of the comet 17P Holmes shortly after its strong outburst on 24th October, 2007
- 26th - 27th October, 2007, a trip for a clear weather to summit of German mount Arber nearby czech boundaires
- Leader of the expedition: Dalibor Hanžl
- Observation of the comet
Expedition Geminids, 2006, Zubří (Czech republic)
- Observing of maximum of Quadrantid meteor shower on 13th December, 2006
- 12th - 13th December, 2006, nearby village Zubří in east of Bohemia; we saw a few nice bolides before the dawn
- Leader of the expedition: Miroslav Brož
- Observation report (IMO)
Expedition Leonids, 2006, Medvědín (Czech republic)
- Observing of maximum of Leonid meteor shower on 19th November, 2006
- 18th - 19th November, 2006, mount Medvědíně in Giant mountains; observed maximum around 65 meteors per hour
- Leaders of the expedition: Václav Knoll, Petr Horálek
- Observaton report (IMO), Meteor trails 1, Meteor trails 2
IV. expedition SAROS in Turkey, 2006
- Total solar eclipse on 29th March, 2006
- 26th March - 1st April 2006, travel by bus of TA Boca via Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia and Bulgaria in Turey, visitation of Edirne and Istambul, observing nearby Çıralı on the beach of Mediterranean sea
- Long eclipse (3 minutes 49 seconds), amazing solar corona with many streamers, observed shadowbands
- Leader of the expedition: Václav Knoll
- Drawing of eclipse, Drawing of sky colors during the totality, Video
Expedition Spain, 2005
- Annular solar eclipse 3rd October, 2005
- 24th September - 5th October, 2005, travel by car to Campor Real nearby Madrid, during the expedition we visited natural monuments and known cities of southern France and Spain
- Observing of my first annular eclipse in clear sky
- Leaders of the expedition: Martin Lehký, Dalibor Hanžl
- Kresba úkazu
I. expedition TRITOS, 2003, Říčky (Czech republic)
Expedition Geminids, 2002, Fox mount (Czech republic)
- Observing of maximum of Leonid meteor shower on 14th December, 2002
- 13th - 14th December, 2002, Fox mount in Giant mountains, very low temperature (minus 19 degrees of Celsius), perfect clear sky and more than 900 meteors per night!
- Leader of the expedition: Miroslav Brož
Expedition Leonids, 2002, Šerlich (Czech republic)
- Observing of maximum of Leonid meteor shower on 19th November, 2002
- 18th - 19th November 2002, mount Šerlich and Velká Deštná (two groups) in Eagle mountains, observed the last strong maximum of Leonids since 1998 (around 2500 meteors per hour!)
- Leaders of the expedition: Václav Knoll, Petr Horálek
- Drawing of some meteors
Expedice for comet 153P Ikeya-Zhang on Mt. Šerlich
- Observig the randezvous of comet 153P Ikeya-Zhang and Andromeda gallaxy Messier 31
- 4th - 5th April, 2002, mount Šerlich in Eagle mountains (Czech republic), amazing conditions, perfect seeing, the comet was about 2.6 magnitude and had over 10-deg. long tail; I also saw the zodiacal light the first time in my life
- Leaders of the expedition: Václav Knoll, Martin Lehký
- Drawing of the sky with the comet, Drawing of the comet
III. expedition SAROS in Hungary, 1999
- Total solar eclipse on 11th August, 1999
- 10th - 12th August, 1999, travel by bus with TA Boca via Austria to Hungary, visitation of Sopron, Tompaladony, Sarvar, the first solar eclipse of my life, observed on a field nearby village Bögöte after very dramatic migration because of bad weather
- Short eclipse (2 minutes 9 seconds), spectacular solar corona in maximum of solar activity, beautiful colors of the sky during the totality
- Leaders of the expedition: Renata Parůžková (Křivková), Michal Hvězda, Václav Knoll
- Image
