Elisabeth von Matt (1762–1814) was an Austrianastronomer active in the late 18th and early 19th century who is regarded as the only female scientist to have her observations published in European astronomy journals during the period.[1] She worked primarily inpositional astronomy, documenting the asteroidsPallas andJuno.
Elisabeth von Matt (née Humelauer) was a baroness living inVienna. There, she built a private observatory and ordered the equipment needed to observe the sky. Her observations were published inBode'sAstronomisches Jahrbuch andFranz Xaver von Zach'sMonatliche Correspondenz.[2] In addition to her own contributions to measurements at the time, von Matt supported the advancement of the field of astronomy by opening her observatory toJohann Tobias Bürg, who was her mentor, and assisting in the supply of books and instruments in the community.[3]
AustrianbotanistJosef August Schultes named the plant genusMattia in honor of von Matt in 1809.[4] It is now listed as a synonym ofRindera.[5] Then in 1915,Mattiastrum a genus offlowering plants from Middle Asia, belonging to the familyBoraginaceae was also named in her honor.[6]
The minor planet 9816 von Matt, discovered in 1960 byCornelis Johannes van Houten andI. van Houten-Groeneveld, was named after von Matt.[7] Two instruments owned by von Matt—a sextant manufactured byEdward Troughton and a chronometer manufactured byJohn Arnold (watchmaker)—are held in the collection of theVienna Observatory at theUniversity of Vienna.[8][9]
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