The History Of The Microscope
by
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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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Microscopes Additional Microscopes Articles
How Electron Microscopes Work Electron microscopes are among the most powerful magnifying tools on the planet. They use beams of electrons rather than conventional light to illuminate objects. The two main types of electron microscopes are transmission electron microscopes and scanning electron microscopes.
Essential Parts of a Microscope 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.
What are Compound Microscopes? 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 objective lens. Below the two lenses is the stage, with the illuminator below that.
The Benefits of Stereo Microscopes 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 added advantages.
The Advantages of Digital Microscopes Digital microscopes are a marvel of modern science. A digital microscope consists of a regular microscope with a digital camera built into it. The images seen through a digital microscope can be projected to a computer monitor and saved on a computer file.
