Scientists

Joseph von Fraunhofer

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Citation Formats

General Reference

Science Atlas. "Joseph von Fraunhofer." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://science.interactiveatlas.org/scientists/joseph-von-fraunhofer.

APA Style

Science Atlas. (n.d.). Joseph von Fraunhofer. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://science.interactiveatlas.org/scientists/joseph-von-fraunhofer

BibTeX

@misc{scienceatlas-joseph-von-fraunhofer,
  author = {Science Atlas},
  title = {Joseph von Fraunhofer},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://science.interactiveatlas.org/scientists/joseph-von-fraunhofer},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

German physicist and optical lens maker who built a precision spectroscope around 1814 to test the glass he manufactured, and used it to discover and catalogue hundreds of dark absorption lines crossing the sun's spectrum, now called Fraunhofer lines. His later comparison of stellar spectra to the sun's founded the practice of stellar spectroscopy.

Facts

Birth Year

1787 1

Field

Physics and optics, spectroscopy 1

Cross-Tradition Connections

Invented

Spectroscope

Built a precision spectroscope around 1814 to test the optical glass he manufactured, discovering hundreds of dark absorption lines in the sun's spectrum now called Fraunhofer lines.

Source Spectroscope (Wikipedia)