Christine Kirch facts for kids

Christine Kirch (born in Guben, Germany, in 1696 – died May 6, 1782) was a German astronomer. She followed in her family's footsteps, becoming a respected scientist in her own right.

Her Life as an Astronomer

Christine Kirch grew up in a family of astronomers. Her parents were Gottfried Kirch and Maria Margarethe Kirch. She also had a brother named Christfried Kirch and a sister, Margaretha Kirch.

From the age of ten, Christine and her sister Margaretha started learning about astronomy. As a child, Christine helped her parents with their observations of the stars and planets. She was responsible for keeping track of time using a pendulum.

As she got older, Christine learned how to calculate calendars. She helped her mother and later her brother with this important work.

Working for the Berlin Academy

For many years, Christine Kirch did not get a regular salary for her work. However, she did receive small gifts of money from the Berlin Academy of Sciences.

After her brother Christfried passed away, the academy relied on Christine for help with their calendar calculations. She took on the job of creating the calendar for Silesia. This was a province that Prussia had recently taken over in the 1740s.

The academy had a special right, called a monopoly, to produce all calendars. The Silesia calendar brought in a lot of money for the academy. Because of her important work, Christine Kirch began to receive a good salary of 400 Thaler from the academy in 1776.

Later Years and Legacy

Christine Kirch continued to work on calendars for the academy even when she was very old. She was highly respected for her skills.

When she was 77, the academy gave her the special status of emeritus. This meant she would keep getting her salary without having to work anymore. She also helped teach another astronomer, Johann Bode, about how to make calendars.

Christine Kirch died in 1782. She was remembered as a very respected astronomer.