Most usually ask how far can we see out and into the universe but I ask; How far can we zoom in on one object?

Question

If the Hubble telescope can zoom out millions of light years away into the infinite univerese then how "far" can the best microscope zoom in on a object. What is beyong the atoms and/or "strings."

Answer 1

It depends on the light being emitted or reflected by the object and the resolution of your telescope; and the Hubble has limits. When it looks at Pluto it sees a speck only 4 pixels wide. As our technology improves we can get better resolution and so see further into space.

We can see millions of light years, or millions of years in the past; but the universe is 13.7 billion years old. That means that the farthest objects can only be at 13.7 light years because you can't exceed the speed of light.

Since telescopes use photons; even radio telescopes use photons we are at the smallest particle size we can use. This is an advantage because we can pick up more of it; but it would put a limit on the resolution due to the size of the photon.

On the other end of the scale is the microscope and the best we have is the electron microscope. We can see down to the size of single atoms, but we are limited by our technology and resolution to that point. A photon and electron are about the same size; and are some of the tiniest objects known. Anything smaller would be a lepton or a quark. We don’t know if they can be broken down into subatomic particles any further. If we could manipulate quarks then it could be possible to create a quark microscope which might give us better resolution to the subatomic scale.

Protons and neutrons are made up of quarks, while electrons are made up of leptons. Those are the smallest particles we, currently, know of. String theory says that at a level far below what we can see there is a quantum foam; the ultimate foundation structure of the universe. This quantum foam is composed of strings that are mini-wormholes that stretch only a few angstroms. We can’t see them and we may never be able to get down to that level.

Answer 2

If you limit yourself to light, then your resolution is limited by the wavelength of the light (practically, it is limited by diffraction at the aperture of the microscope). The very best light microscope cannot do better than resolving something about 1/2 a micron across.

Electron microscopes - which use similar principles to light ones, but with electrons and magnetic lenses - do better. They get you to about 1 Angstom (10^-10 m).

But the microscopes with the highest resolving power use completely different principles. Scanning tunneling microscopy physically move a probe over a surface and use electron tunneling to measure the surface features. They can see individual atoms.

Answer 3

It depends on what you mean by "see." The limit of a traditional microscope is defined by the actual wavelength of light. Some instruments, like electron microscopes can show an image that is generated by electrons hitting a detector. However, an electron microscope can't see electrons, just things larger. Whether we will ever see the strings is incredibly doubtful, but you never know.

Answer 4

I can't answer your question, but how's this for a thought?

What if you SUPER zoomed in with a microscope beyond subatomic levels ... and saw yourself waving back thru a super micro-hubble telescope?

Answer 5

Theres a limit where the light is bent too much and the image is too unclear to make out. But I believe atoms have been seen. But technology is always advancing so u'll never know

Answer 6

nicely, i'm one among those those that Peter hates who has in no way asked a question. I discern if I easily have a question, i'm able to seek the internet for it. i do no longer likely ought to ask a team of strangers. that is my own opinion nevertheless. I do like analyzing different individuals's questions. If that's what they decide for to do, that is superb with me. Who is commonly used with of, one among those days i ought to alter my strategies and ask a question. Who is commonly used with of?

Answer 7

I don't know ,but it has always been my suspicion they will both look very similar. IE Basic Atom looks and behaves like a basic solar system. Basic solar system looks and behave like a basic galaxy etc.

Answer 8

It depends upon how powerful your zooming lens is