ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Ernst Abbe

Ernst Abbe was a very smart man who lived a long time ago. He was super interested in science and math, and he figured out some really important things about how light works.

You know how when you look at things through a magnifying glass, they look bigger? Well, Ernst Abbe helped make those magnifying glasses even better. He figured out that you can use different materials to make lenses that can magnify things really well, and he also discovered something called the "Numerical Aperture," which is a special way of measuring how good a lens is at making things look bigger and clearer.

But Ernst Abbe didn't just stop there! He also helped make microscopes better by figuring out the right combinations of lenses to use to see really tiny things. He even started his own company that made really great lenses and microscopes that scientists all over the world used to help them discover new things about the world.

So basically, Ernst Abbe was a really smart guy who knew a lot about light and lenses and helped us see things better, both big and small.