Absorption lines and bands in the spectrum of the Sun that were first labelled by J. von Fraunhofer in 1814. In decreasing wavelength from the red, they include A (759 nm), B (687 nm), C (656 nm), D (589 nm), E (527 nm), F (486 nm), G (431 nm), H (397 nm), and K (393 nm); Fraunhofer observed many other lines, labelling several weaker features a, b, etc. The A and B bands are due to absorption by oxygen molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere, and the a band is due to absorption by terrestrial water vapour, but the remainder result from absorption in the Sun’s photosphere. Most prominent are the D lines of sodium, the H and K lines of calcium, and the G band caused by neutral iron and the CH molecule, all of which are features of stars of spectral types F, G, and K.