Elisabeth von Matt (1762 - 1814), An Enlightened Practitioner of Astronomy in Vienna

Abstract: Driven by her personal interest, Baroness Matt erected a private observatory in Vienna, bought and ordered precise instruments and carried out astrometric and geodetic observations at several places in Austria and in western Bohemia. Unfortunately her activities were hampered by the Napoleonic wars and were cut short by her early death. Keywords: Elizabeth von Matt, astrometry, surveying 1 INTRODUCTION For many members of the aristocracy of the late eight-eenth century it was fashionable to own a telescope and to roam here and there through the night sky—certainly this was a greater pleasure than today, since the sky was dark in those days. Elisabeth Marie Josepha von Matt, nee von Hume-lauer, was more than just an occasional viewer of the heavens. In this paper we recall briefly what is already known about her (Angetter and Parr 2009; Bode, 1814; Ma-Kircher and Brosche, 2001; Firneis, 1993; Linden-au, 1816: 116) and then we present some new material. A part of it—especially pictures—was kindly provided by a direct descendant, Mr Kurt Albert of Heidelberg. In the title of this paper, why do we call Elisabeth von Matt ‘enlightened’? It is because she devoted her-self to the rational aspects of our science (including geodesy), to the type of research pursued by profes-sional astronomers at that time, that is, the tedious labor connected with the determination of celestial and terrestrial positions. For these purposes, she erected a p riv at eob so y hhou n V nn , pu c dprecise expensive instruments, and received guidance from local astronomers, but especially from Johann Tobias Burg (1766–1834). At her house in Vienna she erected a private observatory. She carried out survey-ing operations near Vienna and in western Bohemia. Although she obviously overcame the obstacles of her sex, other adverse circumstances, especially the Napol-eonic wars and her fading health, did not allow her to realize her full potential.