Fluorescence microscopy – NIGHTSEA with Unitron and Zeiss
Posted On: Friday, March 25, 2016
I (NIGHTSEA founder Charlie Mazel) recently worked on fluorescence microscopy with Maureen Donahue, proprietor of MD Micro Solutions, an independent microscope dealer based in New England. We were reviewing our Model SFA Stereo Microscope Fluorescence Adapter and its accessories, and trying the system out with a variety of subjects on different microscope/camera combinations:
- Zeiss Stemi 508 with Jenoptik ProgRes® SpeedXTcore5 digital camera
- Unitron Z850 Stereo Zoom with Excelis AU-600-HD digital camera
The SFA system worked great with both setups. Below are some sample pictures.
(Click any image for larger view)
Fluorescence microscopy with Zeiss system
Maureen had collected a sample from the shore in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The images below show fluorescence using our Royal Blue excitation in combination with the longpass filter.
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- Zeiss 508 – barnacle
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- Zeiss 508 – barnacle
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- Zeiss 508 – barnacle
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- Zeiss 508 – ostracod
The first image is an intact barnacle shell. The deep red fluorescence arises from chlorophyll, while the orange is from phycoerythrin, a photosynthetic accessory pigment in the blue-green algae. The second and third images show a barnacle, the animal itself, with a broken shell. When feeding the barnacle extends its fan-like appendage into the water column to capture its prey. The last image is an ostracod, a small bivalve crustacean about the size of a grain of sand.
Fluorescence microscopy with Unitron system
The images below are of nylon granules with a fluorescent defect called ‘gel’. Fluorescence is used for quality control in nylon granule manufacturing.
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- Unitron Z850 – nylon granules, white light
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- Unitron Z850 – nylon granules, fluorescence
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- Unitron Z850 – nylon granules, white light
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- Unitron Z850 – nylon granules, fluorescence
This next set of images is more related to the forensic sciences:
- Dust bunny, imaged under white light and fluorescing under Ultraviolet and Royal Blue excitation
- Small fragment of a finger bone in dirt
- Anti-counterfeiting strip on a US $20 bill
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- Unitron Z850 – dust bunny, white light
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- Unitron Z850 – dust bunny, fluorescence, Ultraviolet
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- Unitron Z850 – dust bunny, fluorescence, Royal Blue
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- Unitron Z850 – bone fragment, white light
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- Unitron Z850 – bone fragment, fluorescence, Royal Blue
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- Unitron Z850 – $20 bill, white light
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- Unitron Z850 – $20 bill, fluorescence, Ultraviolet
This is sweet! Great images.