Christfried Kirch
Christfried Kirch (born December 24, 1694 in Guben , † March 9, 1740 in Berlin ) was a German astronomer and calendar maker .
life and work
He was a son of the astronomer couple Gottfried Kirch and Maria Margaretha Kirch . Christfried had already taken part in his father's solar observations at the age of twelve . He began his astronomical studies in Leipzig and Danzig . From 1716 until his death in 1740 he was, like his father, who died in 1710, director of the Berlin observatory , despite repeated appointments to the Academy of Sciences in Saint Petersburg . In 1717 he got his father's job at the Royal Prussian Society of Sciences . In the continuation of his work, especially with the calendar calculation , he was supported by his mother and younger sister Christine Kirch .
In 1726, Kirch and Augustin Grischow were made responsible for the academy library, which at that time was located on the observatory. Until then, the academy's secretary, Johann Theodor Jablonski , was responsible for its management . In 1735 the astronomer Johann Wilhelm Wagner was appointed librarian .
Christfried Kirch published many articles in individual magazines. He described the comet of 1718, observations of sunspots and the surface of Venus and Jupiter , of coverings of Jupiter's moons , of variable stars , as well as of northern lights and terrestrial magnetism . In 1730 his larger work, Observationes astronomicae selectiores in observatorio regio Berolinensi habitae, quibus adjectae sunt annotationes quaedam et animadversiones geographicae et chronologicae, aliaque ad astronomicam scientiam pertinentia, was published.
In 1723 he became a corresponding member of the Académie des Sciences in Paris.
literature
- Siegmund Günther: Kirch, Gottfried . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 15, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1882, p. 787 f. (Family item)
- Diedrich Wattenberg: Kirch, Christfried. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 11, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1977, ISBN 3-428-00192-3 , p. 634 ( digitized version ).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ BBAW: History of the Academy Library
- ^ List of members since 1666: Letter K. Académie des sciences, accessed on January 5, 2020 (French).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kirch, Christfried |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German astronomer and calendar maker |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 24, 1694 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Guben |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 9, 1740 |
| Place of death | Berlin |