Microscopes, ever since their invention centuries ago, have proven instrumental in analyzing and viewing the world of the tiny. In fact, cells for organic matter were first discovered with a microscope, when Robert Hooke used one in 1665 while observing cork. Today, microscopes are vital for the medical industry and more, and different models have different levels of zoom for viewing tinier items in finer details. Some cheap, common microscopes are little more than binoculars for the tiny, while the very strongest can actually view individuals atoms (electron microscopes). A handheld digital microscope, meanwhile, can be a convenient and useful investment for people working in various industries, and aside from a handheld digital microscope, other types exist, such as a microscope camera, a USB microscope, an inspection microscope, and even apps on smart phones such as a microscope app for Android or a microscope app for iPhone. Whatever the model, whether a handheld digital microscope or something more specialized, these tools can make micro worlds visible in great detail.
Microscopes and Their Work
It is unclear who invented the first modern microscope. The first model dates all the way back to 1590, but historians do not know who the inventor was. A man named Hans Lippershey had filed the first patent for a telescope, but it is also possible that a father and son team of Hans and Zacharias Janssen invented it. They were spectacle makers who lived in the same town that Lippershey did, so it seems likely that any of these men invented it. Either way, by 1625, the Italian scientist Francesco Stelluti made the very first recorded microscopic observations. He published drawings of a bee as seen through a microscope. Later, in 1683, the Dutch scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek used microscopes to make the first ever drawings of bacteria. At the time, the early microscopes were used to study insects and thus gained the nickname “flea glasses.” Today, however, they can be used for much more, and not always even living matter. Modern models such as a handheld digital microscope can do more.
Why Use Microscopes?
According to Microscope Detective, pocket microscopes may vary in size and strength, and this makes them versatile tools for amateurs and scientists alike to use. Most models will have an eyepiece on one end and a light on the other, and some may even have a viewing platform (or a staging area) where items to view may be placed; if not, the microscope is simply held over the item to be viewed. Particularly small microscopes will not have the room inside to hold the mirrors correctly, so a flipped or inverted image, like the raw visual input a human eyeball receives, will be visible in the microscope, something a user will simply have to get accustomed to.
The size, cost, and materials of pocket microscopes will vary greatly based on their intended use, as many different industries need small, portable microscopes like these (as opposed to the larger setups that a lab would use on a counter or table that has two eyepieces). Jewelers, for example, will need small microscopes to examine gems for imperfections or to observe very minute carving work. Circuit board inspectors and other professionals working with very small electrical components may need these microscopes, and watch makers will have a similar need for a handheld digital microscope or something similar. Dentists can also use them for medical procedures, and even hobbyists can use them for searching for tiny imperfections or other fine details in collectible items such as coins. Collectors may opt for cheaper or more expensive models, based on budget and how dedicated they are to their collected items, while professionals such as jewelers and circuit board inspectors may have their microscopes assigned to them instead of having to buy them.