The first microscope was created hundreds of years ago. In the passing centuries, microscopes evolved into powerful, precise tools that allow scientists to view tiny objects at a level of detail that seems unreal. There are a wide array of available microscopes, from the compound microscopes commonly found in high school science classrooms to powerful scanning tunneling and electron microscopes used by Nobel Prize winners.
Most historians agree that two Dutchman made the first microscope in 1590. Zaccharias Janssen and his son Hans were two eyeglass makers who experimented with putting multiple lenses together in a tube. They found that objects under the tube were greatly enlarged. Over the next hundred years, scientists Robert Hooke, Anton van Leeuwenhoek, and others further refined the work of the Janssens and used microscopes to examine insects, blood, and other items. Scientists have continued microscopes into the present day. Now, microscopes can show tiny particles that are unseen by the naked eye in extremely exact detail.
Microscopes operate on several principles. Most common microscopes have two different lenses. Viewers look through the ocular lens, also known as the eyepiece. There is another lens, called the objective lens at the end of the ocular lens. The objective lens is a sphere shaped lens located above the stage of the microscope. People place the object they want to examine on the stage and can adjust the lenses to bring the object into focus. Most microscopes have an adjustment knob for coarse focus and one for fine focus. Many microscopes have several objective lenses with different strengths for users to choose from. The lenses are arranged on a circular platform that can be rotated to have the different lenses put into place under the ocular lens. Microscopes also need a light source of some kind underneath the stage. Most commercial microscopes have a light bulb, but many high-end microscopes use lasers or electrons for illumination.
Microscopes have been used to make countless vital scientific discoveries. They are invaluable tools used in a variety of scientific fields that enable researchers to make discoveries that would be impossible with the naked eye.
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Microscope FAQs
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A microscope is an optical instrument used to view extremely small objects, which are difficult to be seen by the naked eye. What are the different parts of a microscope? The major parts of a microscope are the lenses, the tube, the arm, the illuminator,...
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Essential Parts of a Microscope
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The basic design of the microscope has not changed that much over time. They have evolved, but the basic concept is still the same. There are several key parts that many types of microscopes have in common. All of the parts of a microscope must...
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What are Compound Microscopes?
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Most of the microscopes used today are compound. A compound microscope features two or more lenses. A hollow cylinder called the tube connects the two lenses. The top lens, the one people look through, is called the eyepiece. The bottom lens is known as the...
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The Benefits of Stereo Microscopes
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Many people have trouble keeping one eye closed while peering through a microscope lens with the other eye. A stereo microscope eliminates the need to close one eye because it has two eyepieces. Stereo Microscopes have all of the features of conventional microscopes with some...
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Light Microscopes
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Light microscopes or bright field microscopes are the most basic form of microscopes. The original light microscope was invented way back in the 16th century. They are so called because they use light in the visible spectrum to illuminate the specimen. Light microscopes are extensively...
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The Benefits of Video Microscopes
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Most video microscopes are quite different from conventional microscopes. A video microscope is usually larger than a conventional microscope and is often bolted to a table. The microscope has different lenses than normal microscopes also. Video microscopes are often designed for situations in which the...
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Cheap Microscopes
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Cheap microscopes are microscopes which are made using cheap components like wood, plastic and low-quality metals. Most of these devices are handmade and are not used in clinical laboratories. Cheap microscopes have a low resolution and clarity. The magnification power of these equipments is usually...
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History of Microscopes
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Hans Janssen and Zacharias Janssen are held to be the inventors of the microscope, according to the recorded letters of the Dutch envoy, William Boreel. The invention was around the year 1595. Galileo Galilei developed a compound microscope using a convex and a concave lens...
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Inexpensive Microscopes
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Inexpensive microscopes are comparatively low priced, which makes the optical resolution facility feasible for every one. Inexpensive microscopes resemble primitive models of the microscope. They are the basic models of a microscope with only the essential requirements for an enlarged vision of the object. They...
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Types of Microscopes
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Microscopes range from the simple single lens microscope to the sophisticated ones with imaging systems. Microscopes differ on the basis of their resolution, magnification, illumination method, type of image, field of view, degree of automation etc. Depending on the radiation source, microscopes can be broadly...