Maria Cunitz

Maria Cunitz
A memorial to Maria Cunitz in Świdnica, Poland
Born1610 (1610)
Wohlau, Duchy of Legnica, Holy Roman Empire
Died22 August, 1664 (aged 53–54)
Pitschen, Duchy of Legnica, Holy Roman Empire
Known forUrania propitia
Spouses
David von Gerstmann
​
(m. 1623)​
Elias von Löwen
​
(m. 1630)​
Children3
Scientific career
FieldsAstronomy, mathematics
Academic advisorsElias von Löwen

Maria Cunitz or Maria Cunitia[1][2] (other versions of surname include: Cunicia, Cunitzin,[3] Kunic, Cunitiae, Kunicia, Kunicka;[4] 1610 – 22 August 1664) was an accomplished Silesian astronomer, and the most notable female astronomer of the early modern era. She authored a book Urania propitia, in which she provided new tables, new ephemera, and a simpler working solution to Kepler's second law for determining the position of a planet on its elliptical path. The Cunitz crater on Venus is named after her. The minor planet 12624 Mariacunitia is named in her honour.[5]

  1. ^ Cunitz, Maria. "Urania propitia, sive Tabulæ Astronomicæ mirè faciles, vim hypothesium physicarum à Kepplero proditarum complexae; facillimo calculandi compendio, sine ullâ logarithmorum mentione paenomenis satisfacientes; Quarum usum pro tempore praesente, exacto et futuro succincte praescriptum cum artis cultoribus communicat Maria Cunitia. Das ist: Newe und Langgewünschete, leichte Astronomische Tabelln, etc.", Oels, Silesia,1650.
  2. ^ "Katalog z wystawy Astronom Maria Kunic". www.olesnica.org.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference gazers was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (10001)-(15000)". Minor Planet Center.