Microscope – Binocular NSL – CX23 Olympus (Japan)

Theoptical microscope, often referred to as thelight microscope, is a type ofmicroscopethat usesvisible lightand a system oflensesto magnify images of small subjects. Optical microscopes are the oldest design of microscope and were possibly invented in their presentcompound formin the17th century. Basic optical microscopes can be verysimple, although many complex designs aim to improve决议and samplecontrast.

The image from an optical microscope can be captured by normal,photosensitivecameras to generate amicrograph. Originally images were captured byphotographic film, but modern developments inCMOSandcharge-coupled device(CCD) cameras allow the capture ofdigital images. Purelydigital microscopesare now available which use a CCD camera to examine a sample, showing the resulting image directly on a computer screen without the need foreyepieces.

Alternatives to optical microscopy which do not use visible light includescanning electron microscopyandtransmission electron microscopyandscanning probe microscopy.

On 8 October 2014, theNobel Prize in Chemistrywas awarded toEric Betzig,William MoernerandStefan Hellfor “the development of super-resolvedfluorescence microscopy,” which brings “optical microscopy into thenanodimension“.

There are two basic types of optical microscopes: simple microscopes and compound microscopes. A simple microscope is one which uses a single lens for magnification, such as a magnifying glass. A compound microscope uses several lenses to enhance the magnification of an object. The vast majority of modernresearchmicroscopes are compound microscopes while some cheaper commercialdigital microscopesare simple single lens microscopes. Compound microscopes can be further divided into a variety of other types of microscopes which differ in their optical configurations, cost, and intended purposes.