Types of Microscopes

The process of observing the minute organisms or the cells which are not visible by the naked eyes is known as microscopy and the instrument used to observe them is called the microscope. The first microscope was invented in the year 1590 which was an optical microscope. After that, there have been lots of changes in the parts of a microscope which made it more advance and useful. Today there are different types of microscopes and their uses are more complex then the previous years. Their high resolution and magnifying power makes them helpful in understanding the micro as well as the nano world.

Different Types of Microscopes

From the very first microscope to the microscope available today, there is a great difference in the technology. Today you can find many different types of microscope which are capable of magnifying the object to a great extent. Following are the various types of microscope available which vary in magnification, resolution, illumination method, type of object, formation of image, depth of the field, etc.

Compound Microscope

• Compound microscope is commonly used in the schools and colleges.
• It comes under the category of microscopes used in biology.
• It has two lenses namely the objective lens and the ocular lens.
• It provides a magnification of 1500X.
• Eyepiece lens is of 10X or 15X power.
• It is used to observe bacterial, protozoa, various cells, etc.

Light Microscope

• Light microscope is also called optical microscope.
• Eyepiece lens is of 10X or 16X power.
• It provides a magnification of 1500X.
• Light microscope are used in the study of anatomy and physiology of minute creatures.

Dissecting Microscope

• It is also called stereo microscope.
• Its magnification power is less than the other microscope.
• It gives a 3 dimensional picture.
• Due to the low magnifying power they are used to observe little bigger objects than other microscopes.
• They are used in the surgeries, dissection, forensic science etc.

Digital Microscope

• Digital microscope has a 2 mega pixel CCD camera which is attached to an LCD mionitor.
• It has optical lens and also has CCD/CMOS sensors.
• It provides a magnification of 1000X.
• It is used to take high resolution pictures of the object.
• Buying a digital microscope may cost you a lot but it will be worth it.

Electron Microscope

• Electron microscope has a high resolution as compared to the other microscopes.
• It provides a beam of electrons which strikes the object and illuminates it.
• It is one of the best type of microscopes used to study cells.
• It is of two types: Scanning Electron Microscope and the Transmission Electron Microscope.
• It works in vacuum which reduces the chances of electrons to strike other air molecules.

Transmission Electron Microscope

• It provides very high magnification.
• It uses electron beam to magnify the specimen.
• It provides a 2 dimensional image.
• The specimen in sliced ultra thin and then it is kept on a wire grid. The electrons strike the object which makes it visible.
• The object is seen dark over the light background.

Scanning Electron Microscope

• It is also a type of electron microscope.
• It has a low magnifying power than the transmission electron microscope.
• You can get a 3 dimensional image with this microscope.
• To get a proper view specimen is stained with gold and palladium.
• The picture found is in black and white.

Dark-field Microscope

• Special condenser lens is used to magnify object.
• It is known as dark-field microscope because the image is formed on a dark background.
• The light falls on the specimen and scatters further forming the image.
• It is used to observe live specimens for example spirochetes which causes syphilis.

Phase Contrast Microscope

• This microscope also works with the help of special condenser.
• The light strikes the object at different speeds.
• You can see the unstained and live microorganisms in this microscope.
• You can also observe various parts of the cell like the mitochondria, lysosomes, golgi bodies, nucleus etc.

Fluorescent Microscope

• It works with the help of ultraviolet light.
• The ultraviolet light strikes the specimen and excites electrons of the object which can be seen in different colors.
• Fluorescent dyes are used to highlight the object.
• The ultraviolet light increases the resolution.
• It is very helpful in identifying the microorganism.

I, hope the above given information was helpful and enriching. As new inventions and researches will keep on changing the specifications of all these microscopes, you need to keep an eye on the upgraded microscopes.