Maria Kirch Research Paper

Maria Kirch was an influential person. She did many great studies on outer space, and was the first women known to discover a comet. Her success empowered many astronomers and women. Maria Kirch was born in February 25th, 1670. Growing up her dad believed she deserved the same education as a boy her age got introduction of Maria Winkelmann Kirch), and educated her until he got sick and died. Fortunately from there her uncle took over in educating Maria. A little later on in her life Maria became interested in astronomy and went to go work and study with Christopher Arnold, an excellent Astronomer (biography: Married Gottfried Kirch). Arnold was a self-taught astronomer, and observed a comet in the year of 1683. Through Arnold, Maria met Gottfried Kirch who was one of the most important astronomers in Germany. He was most known for his calendars that he made …show more content…
Gottfried and Maria later got married in 1692 and shared many interest. Both really enjoyed astronomy, and together as a team they made ephemerides, observed the night sky, started recording information on weather in 1697, and Maria joined in helping Gottfried in making calendars as well. The Royal Academy of Sciences sold these calendars that both made. During one of Maria's nightly observation she studied and discovered a previously unknown comet on April 21, 1702 (The eclipse of an astronomer; Tail of a comet). But the discovery of the comet was written under her husband's name. Maria still continued to work during these years. She made observations on the Aurora Borealis in 1707, and in 1709 she made a pamphlet on the