Elizabeth Hevelius
Elisabetha Catherina Koopmann Hevelius ( born January 17, 1647 in Danzig ; † December 22, 1693 ibid ) was an astronomer . She was the second wife of the brewer , astronomer, councilor and mayor of Danzig Johannes Hevelius . She is the first female astronomer recorded.
Life
Elisabetha Koopmann came from a wealthy merchant family in the Hanseatic city of Danzig. She was a daughter of the Danzig merchant Nikolaus Koopmann and his wife Johanna Menigs from Amsterdam . As her later husband attested, she was well educated. He described her as a good mathematician.
In 1663 she married the childless widower Johannes Hevelius, with whom she had four children. She initially supported him strongly in his economic affairs; in addition, her interest in astronomy was awakened. She assisted him in his observatory established in 1640 . Together the couple compiled the Prodromus astronomiae , a star catalog of the celestial positions of 1564 stars . After her husband's death in 1687, Elisabeth completed the catalog and published it in 1690.
Elisabetha Hevelius died in December 1693 at the age of 46 and was buried in her husband's tomb.
reception
She is one of the first women whose achievements in astronomy were recognized. It is also called the "mother of the moon charts ".
The 46 km large Venus crater Corpman and the asteroid 12625 Koopman were named after her.
The historical novel Die Sternjägerin , published in 2006, revolves around her life, marriage and scientific achievements .
literature
- Marilyn Bailey Ogilvie : Women in science: antiquity through the nineteenth century: a biographical dictionary with annotated bibliography . 3rd Edition. MIT Press , Cambridge 1991, ISBN 0-262-65038-X , p. 99
- Eric Walz : The Starfighter. historical novel . Blanvalet , Munich 2006, ISBN 978-3-442-36523-4 .
web links
- Literature by and about Elisabetha Hevelius in the German National Library catalogue
- A. Cook: Johann and Elizabeth Hevelius, astronomers of Danzig. In: Endeavour. Volume 24, Number 1, 2000, pp. 8–12, ISSN 0160-9327 . PMID 10824438 . (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Hevelius, Elizabeth |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Hevelius, Elisabetha Catherine; Koopmann Hevelius, Elisabeth; Heweliusz, Elisabetha |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | astronomer |
| BIRTH DATE | January 17, 1647 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Gdansk |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 22, 1693 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Gdansk |