What is a Compound Light Microscope?
A microscope is an instrument composed of lenses with different functions and the mechanical body of the microscope. It can produce an enlarged image of the observed object, making it easy to observe. It is usually used to observe small objects and microstructures that cannot be directly seen by the eyes. Generally speaking, microscopes can be divided into optical microscopes and electron microscopes based on the different light sources and lens systems. Simply put, optical microscopes use light as a light source, which is focused by an optical (glass) lens to form an object image for observation. There are two types of microscopes: simple microscopes and compound microscopes. Electron microscope uses an extremely short wavelength electron beam as a light source, which is focused by an electromagnetic lens to image extremely small objects. Currently, commonly used methods include scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope.
Light microscopy, commonly referred to as LM. According to the imaging process and complexity of construction of optical microscopes, they can be divided into two categories: simple microscopes and compound microscopes.
1. Simple microscope
A simple microscope is composed of one or a set of positive lenses (plano convex or biconvex lenses). This type of microscope has a short focal length, and when observing, the eye must be very close to the lens, and the lens must also be very close to the object. The images produced by a simple microscope are prone to distortion and distortion, so the magnification is below 20 times. The commonly used magnifying glass is a type of microscope.
2. Compound microscope
A compound microscope is composed of two or two sets of lenses and a mechanical body, and is an instrument commonly used in laboratories for observing biological specimens. It is also the microscope we remember. This type of microscope has two sets of lenses, one set is the lens that is close to the specimen being observed, called the objective lens or simply the lens, and the other set is the lens that is close to the eye and used for observation, called the eyepiece or simply the lens. Due to their different functions and purposes, compound microscopes can be divided into stereomicroscopes (anatomical microscopes) and ordinary optical microscopes.
a. Stereoscopic (anatomical) microscope
Stereoscopic microscope is mainly used to observe the external morphology of opaque objects or biological specimens, or applied in industrial lines and some biomedical technologies. This type of microscope has better resolution due to the influence of light source, depth of field, and other imaging factors, with a magnification of less than 60 times.
