Elisabeth Hevelius

Elisabeth Catherina Koopmann-Hevelius (; 17 January 1647 – 22 December 1693) is considered one of the first female astronomers. She contributed to improve and published , a comprehensive star catalog by her husband Johannes Hevelius in Danzig. Her contribution to astronomy was recognized posthumously, including the naming of a crater on planet Venus and an asteroid after her.

Early life and education

Elisabeth Catherina Koopmann was born on 17 January 1647 in Danzig, now Gdańsk in Poland. At the time, Danzig was a mostly German-speaking city in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Her mother was Joanna Mennings (or Menninx; 1602–1679), and her father, Nicholas Koopman (1601–1672), was a successful merchant. thumb Johannes and Elisabeth Hevelius observing the sky with a brass octant (1673).

Career After marrying Hevelius in 1663, Koopmann began working at his observatory in Danzig, which had been built across the roofs of three connected houses. In 1664, when she was about 17, she began regularly assisting with astronomical observations and became Hevelius's observing partner. Their work included measuring the positions of stars using large sextants and octants. These instruments required at least two people to operate, with another assistant sometimes needed to move the largest equipment.

By the late 1670s, Koopmann had been working as an observer for more than a decade. From 26 May to 18 July 1679, the English astronomer Edmond Halley stayed in Danzig to investigate the accuracy of the Heveliuses' observations.

In 1690, Koopmann published the two remaining books. Firmamentum Sobiescianum sive Uranographia was a celestial atlas containing 56 star charts. Prodromus Astronomiae was a star catalogue of 1,564 stars. Much of the material in the three books came from observations and calculations Koopmann had made during the years she worked with her husband.

Koopmann's life was dramatized in the German language historical novel Die Sternjägerin ('The Star Huntress', 2006).

The Oxford Polish Association runs an educational ‘’Hevelius Project’’ which is named after Johannes and Elisabeth.