About Joseph von Fraunhofer
Joseph Ritter von Fraunhofer (; German: [ˈfraʊnˌhoːfɐ]; 6 March 1787 – 7 June 1826) was a German physicist and optical lens manufacturer. He made optical glass, an achromatic telescope, and objective lenses. He developed diffraction gratings and also invented the spectroscope. In 1814, he discovered and studied the dark absorption lines in the spectrum of the sun now known as Fraunhofer lines. The German research organization Fraunhofer Society, which is Europe's biggest Society for the advancement of applied research, is named after him. Fraunhofer lines are used in astronomy to determine the composition of celestial bodies. His epitaph reads Aproximavit sidera, Latin for 'He brought closer the stars.' He developed diffraction grating and also invented the spectroscope. There he discovered how to make fine optical glass and invented precise methods for measuring optical dispersion. By 1809, the mechanical part of the Optical Institute was chiefly under Fraunhofer's direction, and Fraunhofer became one of the members of the firm that same year. During 1818, Fraunhofer became the director of the Optical Institute.
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