What is the maximum magnification you can get with a light microscope?

In a compound microscope, the wavelength of the light waves that illuminate the specimen limits the resolution. The wavelength of visible light ranges from about 400 to 700 nanometers. The best compound microscopes cannot resolve parts of a specimen that are closer together than about 200 nanometers. Optical microscopes are limited to ~1500x magnification because resolving the smallest visible details is limited to Rayleigh criterion (i.e. limited to diffraction). R=λ/NA Where λ is wavelength in nm and NA is numerical aperture of the lens. So for violet light λ = 405 nm and a good lens with oil immersion NA = , you have a resolution of ~197 nm. At 1500x magnification, the human eye can comfortably see 197 nm details #OcularLense #ObjectiveLense #microscope #Genetics #bacteria