Ernst Abbe

German physicist (1840-1905)
Person human Q76359
Ernst Abbe
Emil Tesch (* 1860; † 1931), deutscher Fotograf in Jena. (Emil Tesch wird im Internet nie als Fotograf genannt, auf [1] findet man jedoch unter der Bildnummer port-010274 eine Reproduktion mit der exp · Public Domain · Wikimedia
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Ernst Abbe

Summary

Ernst Abbe is a human[1]. Born in Eisenach[2], he… he was born on January 23, 1840[3]. He died in Jena[4]. He died on January 14, 1905[5]. He worked as a physicist[6], astronomer[7], university teacher[8], lens designer[9], and statistician[10]. He ranks in the top 0.72% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (4,015 views/month, #7,184 of 1,000,298).[11]

Key Facts

  • Ernst Abbe was born in Eisenach[2].
  • Ernst Abbe passed away in Jena[4].
  • Ernst Abbe was born on January 23, 1840[3].
  • Ernst Abbe died on January 14, 1905[5].
  • Ernst Abbe is buried at Nordfriedhof[12].
  • Among Ernst Abbe's spouses was Elisabeth Abbe[13].
  • Ernst Abbe held citizenship in Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach[14].
  • Ernst Abbe is identified as part of the Germans ethnic group[15].
  • Ernst Abbe's professions included physicist[6].
  • Ernst Abbe worked as an astronomer[7].
  • Ernst Abbe worked as a university teacher[8].
  • Ernst Abbe's professions included lens designer[9].
  • Ernst Abbe worked as a statistician[10].
  • Ernst Abbe's professions included entrepreneur[16].
  • Ernst Abbe's field of work was optics[17].
  • Ernst Abbe held the position of director[18].
  • Ernst Abbe was employed by Friedrich Schiller University Jena[19].
  • Ernst Abbe was employed by Physikalischer Verein[20].
  • Ernst Abbe was employed by Carl Zeiss AG[21].
  • Ernst Abbe was educated at University of Göttingen[22].
  • Ernst Abbe's education included a stint at Friedrich Schiller University Jena[23].
  • Ernst Abbe's education included a stint at Ernst-Abbe-Gymnasium[24].
  • Ernst Abbe's doctoral advisor was Wilhelm Eduard Weber[25].
  • A notable student of Ernst Abbe was Gottlob Frege[26].
  • A notable work attributed to Ernst Abbe is Abbe sine condition[27].

Body

Origins and Family

Ernst Abbe's place of birth was Eisenach[2]. He was born on January 23, 1840[3]. He is identified as part of the Germans ethnic group[15].

Education

Educated at University of Göttingen[22], a campus university[28], in Germany[29], founded in 1734[30], headquartered in Göttingen[31]; Friedrich Schiller University Jena[23], a public university[32], in Germany[33], founded in 1558[34], headquartered in Jena[35]; and Ernst-Abbe-Gymnasium[24], a gymnasium[36], in Germany[37], founded in 1843[38]. Ernst Abbe's doctoral advisor was Wilhelm Eduard Weber[25]. He studied under Karl Snell[39].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include physicist[6], astronomer[7], university teacher[8], lens designer[9], statistician[10], and entrepreneur[16]. Ernst Abbe's field of work was optics[17]. Employers include Friedrich Schiller University Jena[19], a public university[40], in Germany[41], founded in 1558[42], headquartered in Jena[43]; Physikalischer Verein[20], an academy of sciences[44], in Germany[45], founded in 1824[46], headquartered in Frankfurt[47]; and Carl Zeiss AG[21], a business[48], in Germany[49], founded in 1846[50], headquartered in Jena[51]. He held the position of director[18]. A notable student of him was Gottlob Frege[26]. Doctoral students include Heinrich Friedrich Weber[52], a physicist[53], 1843–1912[54], of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach[55] and Otto Knopf[56], an astronomer[57], 1856–1945[58], of Germany[59], specialised in astronomy[60].

Works and Contributions

Notable works include Abbe sine condition[27], a physical theory[61]; Abbe number[62], a thermodynamic material property[63]; Abbe refractometer[64], a scientific instrument[65]; and Abbe prism[66]. Things named for Ernst Abbe include Abbe number[67], a thermodynamic material property[68]; Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld[69], an association football venue[70], in Germany[71], founded in 1924[72]; Abbe sine condition[73], a physical theory[74]; Abbe refractometer[75]; Abbe error[76]; Abbe–Koenig prism[77]; Abbe prism[78]; and Abbe[79].

Recognition

Awards received include Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art[80], an order[81], in Germany[82], founded in 1980[83] and Q134613391[84].

Personal Life

Among Ernst Abbe's spouses was Elisabeth Abbe[13]. He was affiliated with the Free-minded People's Party[85].

Death and Burial

Ernst Abbe died on January 14, 1905[5]. He died in Jena[4]. He is buried at Nordfriedhof[12].

Why It Matters

Ernst Abbe ranks in the top 0.72% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (4,015 views/month, #7,184 of 1,000,298).[11] He has Wikipedia articles in 29 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[86] He is known by 45 alternative names across languages and contexts.[87]

He is credited with the discovery of apochromat[88] and Abbe refractometer[89], a scientific instrument[90]. Entities named for him include Abbe number[67], a thermodynamic material property[68]; Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld[69], an association football venue[70], in Germany[71], founded in 1924[72]; Abbe sine condition[73], a physical theory[74]; Abbe refractometer[75]; Abbe error[76]; and Abbe–Koenig prism[77].

His notable doctoral advisees include Heinrich Friedrich Weber[91], a physicist[92], 1843–1912[93], of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach[94].

FAQs

Where was Ernst Abbe born?

Ernst Abbe's place of birth was Eisenach[2].

Where did Ernst Abbe die?

Ernst Abbe passed away in Jena[4].

Who was Ernst Abbe married to?

Ernst Abbe's spouses include Elisabeth Abbe[13].

What did Ernst Abbe do for work?

Ernst Abbe worked as physicist[6], astronomer[7], university teacher[8], lens designer[9], and statistician[10].

Where did Ernst Abbe go to school?

Ernst Abbe was educated at University of Göttingen[22], Friedrich Schiller University Jena[23], and Ernst-Abbe-Gymnasium[24].

What awards did Ernst Abbe receive?

Honors received include Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art[80] and Q134613391[84].

What did Ernst Abbe discover?

Ernst Abbe is credited as discoverer of apochromat[88] and Abbe refractometer[89].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  3. [13] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  4. [14] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  5. [18] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  6. [22] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  7. [23] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  8. [24] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  9. [17] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  10. [85] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  11. [6] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  12. [7] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  13. [8] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  14. [9] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  15. [10] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  16. [16] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  17. [19] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  18. [20] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  19. [21] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  20. [12] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  21. [80] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  22. [84] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  23. [15] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  24. [25] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  25. [52] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  26. [56] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  27. [3] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  28. [5] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  29. [27] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  30. [62] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  31. [64] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  32. [66] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  33. [26] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  34. [39] ↑ . wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [88] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [89] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [91] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [67] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [69] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [73] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [75] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [76] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [77] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [78] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [79] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [28] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [29] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [30] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [31] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [32] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [33] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [34] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [35] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [36] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [37] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [38] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [40] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [41] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [42] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [43] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [44] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [45] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [46] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [47] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [48] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [49] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [50] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [51] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [81] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [82] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  26. [83] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [53] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  28. [54] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  29. [55] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  30. [57] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  31. [58] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  32. [59] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  33. [60] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  34. [61] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  35. [63] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  36. [65] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  37. [90] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  38. [92] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  39. [93] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  40. [94] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  41. [68] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  42. [70] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  43. [71] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  44. [72] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  45. [74] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [11] ↑ . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [86] ↑ . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [87] ↑ . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

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Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Ernst Abbe. Retrieved October 2, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/ernst-abbe
MLA “Ernst Abbe.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 2 Oct. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/ernst-abbe.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_ernst-abbe_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Ernst Abbe}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/ernst-abbe}, note = {Accessed: 2026-10-02}}
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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 11d ago · Printstream · 2026-09-23 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Sächsische biografie (gnd) id → 28693
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/55956|batch #55956]]: migrate GND to own IDs"
  2. 22d ago · Printstream · 2026-09-11 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Sächsische biografie (gnd) id → 28693
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P1710]]: 118646419, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/273169|batch #273169]]"
  3. 13w ago · Printstream · 2026-07-02 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14585 → 53499
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P14585]]: 53499, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1782930557898"
  4. 16w ago · Jindřich Rubeš · 2026-06-11 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Svkkl authority id → 0355666-Abbe-Ernst-18401905
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P9322]]: 0355666-Abbe-Ernst-18401905, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/259497|batch #259497]]"
  5. 19w ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-21 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Occupation → physicist, astronomer, university teacher +5
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/32152|batch #32152]]: import P21 and P106 from GND (34)"
  6. 19w ago · Pigsonthewing · 2026-05-19 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14397 → 5
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ [[Property:P14397]]: 5, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/290067828|Ernst Abbe (#290067828)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/7918|‎Darwin Correspondents]] #"
  7. 20w ago · PhysVerein · 2026-05-15 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Award received → Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art, Q134613391
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/31756|batch #31756]]: Ehrenmitglieder"
  8. 20w ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-13 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Local thumb → —
    Cerl thesaurus id → cnp02349164
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/30851|batch #30851]]: match CERL IDs on the basis of GND (7)"
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