A first glimpse of the microscopic universe
January 18th, 2013 at 9:39 pm (Biology, Plants)
The world just expanded by a factor of ten. At least.
Of course this is true in a literal sense, given the arrival of my Celestron 44345 microscope. I can now see down to scales previously invisible to my eye, magnifying at 40x, 100x, 200x, 1600x! But even more meaningful is the figurative way in which things have expanded. I have access to a rich, teeming layer of reality that previously existed only in a hypothetical fashion. And because this is a microscope with a digital camera embedded in it, I can also store and share what I see.
I first took a look at the seven prepared slides that came with the microscope. Here are some examples of the fantastic sights I saw (click to zoom):
I’ve now placed an order for a set of blanks so that I can prepare my own slides to study anything I encounter — and even just within the confines of my house there is a veritable zoo of things to study. High on my list is sampling from the cornucopia of interesting structures that grow in my compost bin. I can’t wait to share what I discover!
jim said,
January 19, 2013 at 7:02 am
That is awesome. You might want to try scooping up some pond water – lots of little critters can be found!
Susan said,
January 21, 2013 at 9:48 am
Those slides are lovely. I remember playing with a toy microscope as a kid. That is a SERIOUS microscope. With a camera. Amazing. I’m very interested in seeing what you’ll share from slides you make yourself.
Martin Gomez said,
January 21, 2013 at 5:31 pm
Try a drop of saliva or blood sandwiched between two slides…I still remember that from middle school!