A microscope is an optical instrument that can be used for magnification.  It's often paired with:

* optics (focus + calibration)
* a camera
* a lighting system
* a moving stage

Not all are necessary to view something microscopic! 

## Basic Microscope Kit

While there are lots of different microscopes -- both commercial and open source (see below) -- we're highlighting an **introductory-level Do-It-Yourself microscope kit** that's a good place to start:

[Basic Microscope Kit](/basic-microscope)

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## Microscope projects

What kinds of microscope are available, both Do-It-Yourself ones and commercially available ones? We've [posted this question here](https://publiclab.org/notes/warren/10-02-2017/how-do-diy-microscopes-compare-cost-ease-of-use-resolution-to-commercial-options), and are keeping a comparison table below. 

<iframe src="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSX0Rymc5kmFu4nf4OWXyU4VscWl6hw_OgWPeBN1toEBkOfLqHSuSGo48eCrByKAQCDVfaSnXFlBReV/pubhtml?gid=0&amp;single=true&amp;widget=true&amp;headers=false" width="900" height="600" style="border:none;"></iframe>

See and edit the [full spreadsheet here](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CgidY7auptZcLJ_FmbfoTkye_29LqR29tVmciRyd_0Y/edit#gid=0)


## Questions

Questions can be either frequently asked questions, or "next step" challenges we're looking to solve.

[questions:microscopes]

## Activities

Activities show how to use this project, step by step.

[activities:microscopes]

## Updates

[notes:microscopes]