Abstract
Zdeněk Kopal was word-famous astronomer. After graduating from the Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, in 1938, he went to study in the USA, where he remained after the outbreak of the Second World War.
In 1951, he moved to Manchester, as head of the newly established Department of Astronomy. His most important scientific contribution is research into the eclipsing variable binaries.
He also significantly contributed to the research into the Moon, as part of the Apollo project.