How Bright Are You?

Okay, I am not speaking about how smart you are..What I am talking about is what type of light is right for your microscope! Tricked ya! Did you know that there are several types of electrical lighting for microscopes? Well, there are three; Tungsten, Fluorescent, and Halogen. Tungsten is the least expensive illumination. It is hotter and less bright than the other kinds. Fluorescent illumination provides cooler and brighter light than tungsten. This is beneficial when viewing slides for long periods of time or observing live specimens, such as protozoa. Halogen provides the very brightest illumination. The best microscopes have halogen lighting and most stereo microscopes with top lighting also use halogen lighting.