Christian Ludwig Gerling (10 July 1788 – 15 January 1864) studied under Carl Friedrich Gauss, obtaining his doctorate in 1812 for a thesis entitled: Methodi proiectionis orthographicae usum ad calculos parallacticos facilitandos explicavit simulque eclipsin solarem die, at the University of Göttingen. He is notable for his work on geodetics and in 1927 some 60 letters of correspondence between Gerling and Gauss on the topic were published. He is also notable as the doctoral advisor of Julius Plücker.

Christian Gerling
Christian Ludwig Gerling (1788-1864)
Born	(1788-07-10)10 July 1788 Hamburg
Died	15 January 1864(1864-01-15) (aged 75) Marburg
Nationality	German
Alma mater	University of Göttingen
Known for	Geodetic triangulations
Scientific career
Fields	Physicist and astronomer
Institutions	University of Marburg
Doctoral advisor	Carl Friedrich Gauss
Doctoral students	Julius Plücker

Gerling, whose father was also called Christian Ludwig Gerling and was a pastor at the St. Jacobi church, was born in Hamburg and attended the Johanneum. In 1817, he became a professor of mathematics at the University of Marburg.