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A microscope is an instrument that can be used to observe small objects, even cells. The image of an object is magnified through at least one lens in the microscope. This lens bends light toward the eye and makes an object appear larger than it actually is.

Powerful microscopes shed new light on the teeny tiny and make the invisible, visible. They've played an enormous part in science by taking us deep into worlds we've come to think of as "microscopic."

Includes brief explanation and diagram of a microscope.

Ever since their invention in the late 1500s, light microscopes have enhanced our knowledge in basic biology, biomedical research, medical diagnostics and materials science. Light microscopes can magnify objects up to 1,000 times, revealing microscopic details.