Electron microscopes are more powerful and much larger than a compound light microscope. Electron microscopes use a beam of electrons and magnetic fields to produce an image of the object, which is then displayed on a computer screen. It is with electron microscopes that scientists can study a cell right down to the atomic and molecular level. Please note, however, because of the way the specimens must be prepared, most electron microscopes can not be used to view living organisms or tissues.
The TEM, or Transmission Electron Microscope, can magnify objects hundreds of thousands of times, while the SEM, or Scanning Electron Microscope, can magnify objects about 60,000 times and gives realistic, three dimensional images of an objects' surface.
Check out these electron micrographs (images made with an electron microscope)!
