Microscopy Primer
Light and Color
Microscope Basics
Special Techniques
Digital Imaging
Confocal Microscopy
Live-Cell Imaging
Photomicrography
Microscopy Museum
Virtual Microscopy
Fluorescence
Web Resources
License Info
Image Use
Custom Photos
Partners
Site Info
Contact Us
Publications
Home

The Galleries:

Photo Gallery
Silicon Zoo
Pharmaceuticals
Chip Shots
Phytochemicals
DNA Gallery
Microscapes
Vitamins
Amino Acids
Birthstones
Religion Collection
Pesticides
BeerShots
Cocktail Collection
Screen Savers
Win Wallpaper
Mac Wallpaper
Movie Gallery

The Compass Microscope

The microscope illustrated below is an example of the Compass microscope that was probably made by the British designer George Adams around 1745. This popular microscope was about six inches long and was intended to be hand-held while viewing small specimens.

A prominent feature of Compass microscopes is the Lieberkuhn reflector surrounding the eyepiece/objective that allows reflected light to evenly illuminate opaque specimens. Curvature of the reflector is optimized to focus the maximum amount of ambient light onto the specimen surface. Early Compass microscope designs had a major flaw because the limb that held the specimen pivoted in a manner that caused the specimen and the objective to move in an arc with respect to each other during sample focus. This was solved in later models (like the one shown above) by allowing the specimen holder rod to fit into a sleeve, allowing the rod to slide up and down to bring the specimen into view. The compass microscope featured above has a brass body and solid ivory handle, typical of similar microscopes made during this period.

BACK TO EIGHTEENTH CENTURY MICROSCOPES

Questions or comments? Send us an email.
© 1998-2022 by Michael W. Davidson and The Florida State University. All Rights Reserved. No images, graphics, scripts, or applets may be reproduced or used in any manner without permission from the copyright holders. Use of this website means you agree to all of the Legal Terms and Conditions set forth by the owners.
This website is maintained by our
Graphics & Web Programming Team
in collaboration with Optical Microscopy at the
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.
Last modification: Friday, Nov 13, 2015 at 02:19 PM
Access Count Since April 6, 1999: 48696
For more information on microscope manufacturers,
use the buttons below to navigate to their websites: