Quick Facts
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Johannes Fabricius
Dutch astronomer
Johannes Fabricius (born Jan. 8, 1587, Resterhafe, Neth.—died c. 1615) was a Dutch astronomer who may have been the first observer of sunspots (1610/1611) and was the first to publish information on such observations. He did so in his Narratio de maculis in sole observatis et apparente earum cum sole conversione (1611; “Account of Spots Observed on the Sun and of Their Apparent Rotation with the Sun”). The son of the astronomer David Fabricius, Johannes used a camera obscura as well as a telescope in his study of the Sun.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica
Privacy Policy
and
Terms of Use.