The Expedition of M. R. Štefánik to Observe the Total Solar Eclipse in 1907 from Turkestan

In 1906-07, the Slovak astronomer Milan Rastislav Štefánik travelled to observe the Turkestan 14 January 1907 solar eclipse at Ura-Tjuba. Due to snowy weather the expedition was unsuccessful, but on the way Štefánik met the expedition from Hamburg-Bergedorf, visited the Pulkovo observatory and was invited to join the Russian expedition. Štefánik later served in the aviation corps of French Army and played a significant role in establishing of the new Czechoslovak Republic of which he became the first Minister of Warfare. His international contacts were essential for success in the diplomacy around the constitution of the independent Czechoslovak Republic in 1918.