Erlangen 2026 – scientific programme
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GP: Fachverband Geschichte der Physik
GP 7: Practices and Experiments
GP 7.4: Talk
Wednesday, March 18, 2026, 15:15–15:45, KH 02.019
Practicising with the Lucernal Microscope — •Peter Heering1 and Trienke van der Spek2 — 1Europa-Universität Flensburg, Institut für Physik und ihre Didaktik und Geschichte — 2Teylers Museum Haarlem
The lucernal microscope, a projection microscope that uses the newly developed Argand lamp as a light source, was developed at the end of the 18th century, particularly George Adams sen. and jun. are key persons in this respect. The instrument was marketed as an improvement of the solar microscope and has two key advantages. Due to the use of an artificial light source, the device can be used both during the day and, above all, at night. Furthermore, use of the device is not dependent on weather conditions, meaning that, unlike a solar microscope, it can be used for demonstrations at any time.
Martinus van Marum ordered a lucernal microscope together with a substantial set of specimens from George Adams in 1788. This instrument still exists in Teylers Museum Haarlem where we started to use both the instruments and the specimens for projections. In our presentation, we are discussing the experiences made in working with the instrument. Moreover, we will also discuss in particular the findings with respect to the sliders - this seems to be particularly relevant as these objects are frequently neglected in the discussion of 18th century microscopes.
Keywords: Replication method; Scientific Practice; Scientific Culture; Microscopy; Public Science