Original prism by Joseph von Fraunhofer
- maker:
- Joseph von Fraunhofer
The original prism by Joseph von Fraunhofer, Munich, with which Dr. William Hyde Wollaston discovered the dark lines in the solar spectrum, equilateral prism sides 3.0 cm length 3.5cm, some sealing wax at each end, 1801-1805.
The dark absorption lines in the spectrum of the Sun were first observed by English physicist William Hyde Wollaston in 1802. Joseph von Fraunhofer expanded on Wollaston's work and plotted these lines, designating them by brightness. His work on dark lines meant that these lines were named after him, and are still known as Fraunhofer lines. It is estimated that there are 25,000 known Fraunhofer lines in the solar spectrum.
Related people
Details
- Category:
- Optics
- Object Number:
- 1927-969/1
- Materials:
- glass and sealing wax
- type:
- prism - optical
- taxonomy:
-
- furnishing and equipment
- tools & equipment
- optical instrument
- optical instrument component
- credit:
- Ramsay-Fairfax, W.G.A.
Cite this page
Rights
We encourage the use and reuse of our collection data.
Data in the title, made, maker and details fields are released under Creative Commons Zero
Descriptions and all other text content are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence
Download
Download catalogue entry as json
View 
manifest in IIIF viewer
Add to Animal Crossing Art Generator
Download manifest IIIF
Our records are constantly being enhanced and improved, but please note that we cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information shown on this website.
