Christian Mayer (astronomer) facts for kids
Christian Mayer (born August 20, 1719, in Mederitz – died April 16, 1783, in Mannheim) was a Moravian-German Catholic priest, astronomer, and teacher. He is best known for being one of the first people to study binary stars.
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Life and Discoveries
Christian Mayer was born in a place called Mederitz, which is in Moravia. When he was young, he studied many subjects. These included Greek, Latin, mathematics, philosophy, and theology.
When he was in his early twenties, Christian Mayer decided to become a Jesuit. This is a member of a religious order called the Society of Jesus. He joined the Jesuits in Mannheim in 1745. After finishing his training, he started teaching.
Becoming an Astronomer
By 1752, Christian Mayer was well-known. He was chosen to be a professor of mathematics and physics at Heidelberg University. Around this time, he became very interested in astronomy, which is the study of stars and planets.
He was then made the Court Astronomer in Mannheim. His job was to choose the right tools for new observatories. These observatories were built in Schwetzingen and Mannheim. With these new tools, he could study the sky more closely. He also wrote many books about his findings.
Observing Venus
In 1769, Christian Mayer was invited to St. Petersburg. He went there to watch a special event called the transit of Venus. This is when the planet Venus passes directly in front of the Sun. He observed this event with another astronomer named Anders Johan Lexell.
In 1773, the Jesuit order was closed down by Pope Clement XIV. Because of this, Christian Mayer lost his job as Court Astronomer. But he still kept studying the stars and making observations. He also became a member of important groups like the Royal Society in 1765 and the American Philosophical Society in 1768.
Studying Double Stars
Christian Mayer is most famous for being a pioneer in studying binary stars. These are two stars that orbit around each other. At the time, his equipment wasn't perfect. It was hard to tell if two stars were truly orbiting each other or just looked close together from Earth.
However, between 1777 and 1778, he made a list of 80 double stars. He published this list in 1781. This was a very important step in understanding these star systems.
Christian Mayer became a member of many scientific groups during his life. He passed away in Heidelberg.
See also
In Spanish: Christian Mayer (astrónomo) para niños
- List of Jesuit scientists
- List of Roman Catholic scientist-clerics
Honors
- The crater C. Mayer on the Moon is named after him.
Images for kids
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Mannheim and the area around it, from a map by Christian Mayer, around 1775.
