, the third column predicts the
zodiac in which the moon would stand that day, while the fourth column either contains astronomical information – 1 January conjunction of
Saturn and
Mars, 9 January
new moon – or vague weather predictions – 12 and 13 January snow or just rain. At the bottom of the page, the daylight hours, and the time the sun rises and sets are predicted for every fifth day. Women were not afforded
journeyman years during their apprenticeship, which left them dependent on those in their household for training. Due to societal norms and beliefs of the given time period, women were not allowed to attend universities in Germany. This did not completely exclude women from practicing astronomy, however, because the work of astronomy and the observation of the heavens took place largely outside the universities. She became widely known as the
Kirchin, the feminine version of the family name. It was not unheard of in the
Holy Roman Empire that a woman should be active in astronomy.
Maria Cunitz,
Elisabeth Hevelius, and
Maria Clara Eimmart had been active astronomers in the seventeenth century. Together they made observations and performed calculations to produce calendars and
ephemerides. From 1697, the Kirchs also began recording weather information. Their data was used to produce calendars and
almanacs and it was also very useful in navigation. The Academy of Sciences in Berlin handled sales of their calendars. On 21 April 1702, Kirch identified the so-called "
Comet of 1702" (C/1702 H1). Today there is no doubt about Kirch's priority in discovering C/1702 H1. In his notes from that night her husband recorded: Early in the morning (about 2:00 AM) the sky was clear and starry. Some nights before, I had observed a variable star and my wife (as I slept) wanted to find and see it for herself. In so doing, she found a comet in the sky. At which time she woke me, and I found that it was indeed a comet... I was surprised that I had not seen it the night before. Despite her petition being supported by Leibniz, the president of the academy, the executive council of the academy rejected her demand for a formal position, saying that "what we concede to her could serve as an example in the future." Despite Maria and Gottfried both having spent years working on calendars and discovering a comet each, the one item Maria did not have that almost everyone in the Academy did was a university education. In 1716, her son Christfried and
Johann Wilhelm Wagner were appointed observers at the academy observatory following Hoffmann's death. She was once again working at the academy observatory calculating calendars. She chose to retire and continue her own observations at home, which the Academy requested be nearby so that her son could still dine at home without neglecting his duties at the Academy. Kirch died of a fever in Berlin on 29 December 1720. == Publications ==