Microscopy

Microscopy is the study of devices (microscopes) that are used to view objects or certain areas that cannot be seen with a naked eye.

  • Microscopes work on the physical principle of magnification where the image of an object is magnified so that it can be visible.
  • The substances that can only be seen with a microscope are called microscopic substances.
  • Microscopes are imperative in areas like microbiology that deals with the structure and function of microscopic living beings.
  • Microscopy is further divided into three branches; optical microscopy, electron microscopy, and X-ray microscopy.
  • X-ray microscopy is a fairly new technology that is responsible for detailed imaging of subcellular organelles like the nucleus and chromosomes.
  • Microscopy, importantly optical microscopy, began with the discovery of the first microscope by Anton Von Leeuwenhoek.
  •  The complexity of microscopy since then has increased rapidly with new and advanced microscopes with higher magnification and resolution.
  • In an optical microscope, the rays of light are passed through a series of glass lenses to produce a magnified image on the observer’s eyes. Compound microscopes are the most common type of microscope, mostly used for research and teaching purposes.
  • In the case of an electron and X-ray microscope, an electron beam is created which produced a digital magnified image of an object.
  • Electron microscopes have very high magnification and resolution which produces clear enlarged images of objects as small as an atom.
  • Depending on the nature of the sample, different types of microscopes, including bright field microscope, fluorescence microscope, phase contrast, and darkfield microscopes, are also available.
  • The magnification of these microscopes depends on the type of lens used in the system which produces images of different magnitude and resolution so that they can be viewed.
  • Microscopy is important in different areas of science like histology, cytology, and bacteriology. Microscopic examination of the morphology and structure of cells has been used as an essential technique for the identification of microorganisms.