Recording the Observations

Once a specimen has actually been observed under the microscope, that observation needs to be recorded somehow so it can be studied or compared later, and there are two standard ways of doing this. Hand diagrams are drawn manually, using an ordinary pencil, by carefully observing the slide directly through the microscope and sketching what is seen; this method depends entirely on the observer's own skill and attention but can capture exactly the detail the observer chooses to emphasise. Microphotographs (or microphotography) instead use a camera - typically attached to the microscope through a dedicated microscope coupler or eyepiece adaptor - to further magnify, project and permanently …