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M←Display Case

Under the MicroscopeMoon dust · Earth’s soil

  1. 1Wipe the slide
  2. 2Place a sample
  3. 3Focus
  4. 4Magnify
  5. 5Explore

This fresh slide is smudged. Wipe it clean: drag the cloth across it, or press Wipe.

Focus

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Objective lens

10× eyepiece × 4× lens = 40×

Move the slide

On the stage

A fresh slide

Our Moon is fascinating to study. Its surface alone, which is covered in a layer of fine dust called lunar regolith, provides huge contrasts to our own Earth.

Microscope tip

Dust and dirt on a slide can show up when you look down a microscope, and spoil the picture. Microscope makers say to wipe each slide clean with a soft cloth before you look. Source: Olympus, Cleaning and Maintenance

See the lunar meteorite in the display case

Adrar 013 is a lunar meteorite weighing 3,150 grams in all, purchased in Adrar, Algeria, in 2023. Source: Washington University in St. Louis

These are photographs taken through real microscopes; the lens buttons zoom the photo.