Late Work
Above is a photo of Maria making observations.
Following her husband Gottfried Kirch's death, Maria continued to produce the Kirch calendars. As I mentioned earlier, Maria tried to take over her husband's position as Royal Astronomer. Gottfried Leibniz was president of the Academy and he supported Maria's applicaton for the position. However, other members of the Academy were strongly opposed to Maria filling Gottfried's post. She believed the reason they didn't want her to do the job was because she was a woman, although this theory was never proven true.
In fact, the Academy of Sciences appointed Johann Heinrich Hoffmann, who had much less experience than Maria and very quickly showed that he was not up to the job.
In 1712 Kirch wrote an article on an upcoming conjunction, the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter, which would happen in 1714. Multhauf writes -
She went to work in Krosigk's well-equipped
observatory in 1712, and upon [Krosigk's] death in
1714 moved to Danzig. Peter the Great wanted her to come to Russia, but
when her son Christfried became the astronomer of the Berlin Observatory, she
joined him there.
As Kirch continued to produce calendars, she also produced almanacs and continued to make observations in astronomy. She taught her children to be astronomers so that when Johann Heinrich Hoffmann died in 1716, Maria's son Christfried was given the position his mother had been denied. At first, Maria and her daughters acted like Christfried's assistants. However, Maria's wasn't in very good health anymore, and she had to quit her work as an astronomer.
In fact, the Academy of Sciences appointed Johann Heinrich Hoffmann, who had much less experience than Maria and very quickly showed that he was not up to the job.
In 1712 Kirch wrote an article on an upcoming conjunction, the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter, which would happen in 1714. Multhauf writes -
She went to work in Krosigk's well-equipped
observatory in 1712, and upon [Krosigk's] death in
1714 moved to Danzig. Peter the Great wanted her to come to Russia, but
when her son Christfried became the astronomer of the Berlin Observatory, she
joined him there.
As Kirch continued to produce calendars, she also produced almanacs and continued to make observations in astronomy. She taught her children to be astronomers so that when Johann Heinrich Hoffmann died in 1716, Maria's son Christfried was given the position his mother had been denied. At first, Maria and her daughters acted like Christfried's assistants. However, Maria's wasn't in very good health anymore, and she had to quit her work as an astronomer.