∞ generated and posted on 2016.01.14 ∞
Substantial magnification of the image of an object that has been illuminated using photons.
Different types of microscopy differ in part in terms of what is doing the illumination of a specimen/what is being detected to form an image. The most common means involves illumination and detection of visible light. However, it is possible to employ other wavelengths of light such as ultraviolet. The microscopes used in most teaching laboratories use visible light for object or specimen illumination.
Light microscopes can be differentiated into compound versus simple scopes. These differ in terms of the number of lenses employed (two or more versus one), their overall complexity, and the degree of magnification that can be achieved.