Electron microscope

Electron microscopes were developed in the twentieth century. Instead of visible light, they use electrons to produce images. Their much higher magnification and resolving power opened up a finer level of cell structure to investigation.

An electron microscope forms an image using a beam of electrons rather than visible light. Electron beams can reveal much finer detail than light microscopes, so electron microscopes have much better resolution and can provide useful images at higher magnifications. In particular, a transmission electron microscope can form an image of a very thin section through a cell, showing internal structures that were previously difficult or impossible to distinguish.