Many organelles in cells are too small to be viewed in a light microscope. An election Microscope is used to study such objects. It uses a beam of electron whose wavelength is very shorter than that of light. The beam is focused by powerful electromagnets. The image produced cannot be viewed directly. Instead, the beam is directed onto a fluorescent screen, from which black and white photographs of the image called photoelectron micrographs are taken.
An electron microscope has a resolving power of around 1 nm and magnifies objects over 500 000 times. Thus, it can give a far more detailed picture of the structures in a cell than the most powerful light microscope.
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