Serious high resolution 80mm dia binoculars with a 15-45X zoom, for serious gazing. These big boys measure 13" long and weigh 4.6 lbs (they have a 1/4"-20 tripod mount) and have coated optics, a rubberized housing, roll-back eyecups, interpupillary adjustment (say that ten times fast) and focus, and a variable zoom from 15X to 45X. They come with a chamois, neck strap and a padded, zippered black leatherette carrying case with a strap. Not for the opera, unless you really want to see the fat lady's tonsils. Near focus of approx 25 feet. Great viewing, whether you're into wildlife or astronomy. Includes a 2-year manufacturer's warranty. Makes a great gift!

From Celestron©, who rules the skies! These are our best-selling binoculars! The very nice pair of 15 X 70 binoculars have multi-coated optics to reduce refraction and a weather-resistant rubber housing, and are a relatively light 5.2 lbs. They come with a carrying case, chamois and neckstrap, plus a handle/adapter for a standard 1/4" - 20 mount for a tripod. A lifetime warranty is available from Celestron©

Choose either the 25- or 100-slide selection of 3" x 1" prepared microscope slides from Celestron®, both in sturdy hinged wooden cases. The selections include a wide range of bacteria; plant, animal and human tissue; insect or reptilian specimens; and a list of each of the slides.

This green, rubber-coated 4X binocular from Celestron® is kid-sized but otherwise very high quality with coated lenses, an 18" neck cord, belt-mount carrying pouch and lens cloth. Has 30mm objective lens diameter and a 4.3 degree X 225-foot field of view at 1,000 yards.

Up close and personal. From My First Lab™, these prepared microscope slides are Biology 101 in a box. Fungus slides (“Fun Guys”) have bread mold, penicillum, lichens, mushroom and yeast samples. The guts group has human stomach, heart and blood, plus brain and kidney cells from a small mammal. For ages nine and up.

Thick, but very desirable, like a nice fat slice of salami, these negative meniscus glass lenses are 55mm dia with a focal length of -169mm (think: reduction). Great for artists and crafters. Edges might have some slight chips, but that's surplus for you.

Capture stars and amoebas on your smartphone with the Orion® SteadyPix™, which allows you to take phone pics through a telescope, binocular, spotting scope, and some microscopes. The rubber-coated clamp fits phones from 2-1/8” to 3-3/4” wide, and the twist-lock clamp fits devices with eyepieces between 1” and 1-3/4”. For best results, set the phone timer so you don’t have to touch it and cause vibrations.

One wiseacre assumed we meant any package leaving our shipping room that once had a glass object in it. That is a malicious rumor. . . Ground glass is thin plate glass, the surface of which has been physically ground or acid-etched to create a grainy, grayish, opaque surface. Use it to produce an image from a lens or lens system. Even a simple magnifier, held between the ground glass and, say, a window, will produce an image of the window scene on the ground glass. Ground glass has another magical property: it is opaque to any object viewed at a distance, but not if that object is in direct contact with the glass surface. A necessary element of your optical education. #2728 (square) is 2"sq x 1/32" thick. #2610 (rectangular) is 3-1/2" x 4-3/8" x 1/16" thick.

These 9mm dia (PCX) plano-convex glass lenses have a 268mm focal length, and are perfect for arts and crafts projects, or for making the worlds tiniest telescope. May have a few small chips but we will sort them as best as we can. Call about larger quantity discounts!

Mini scientists need appropriately sized lab equipment, and, what a coincidence, we have a Mini Duo Scope from My First Lab™ with your kid's name on it. It's two microscopes in one, and won Creative Child Magazine's 2015 Product of the Year Award. Has 40X, 100X and 400X magnification, top and bottom LED illumination, and includes more than (40) pieces and accessories, including brine shrimp eggs and yeast specimens. Ages 8 and up, and requires (2) AA batteries. Today, the Mini Duo. Tomorrow, the Large Hadron? Hey, it could happen.

The sport of the future? No, cork-lined polystyrene boxes for holding microscope slides, complete with numbered slots and inventory sheets on the lids. The boxes are 8-3/4" x 6-3/4" x 1-1/3" with hinged lids. They are stackable, and you might get them in a variety of colors.

New, international-standard, full-sized illuminated student microscope, professional quality at a student price. Now comes with a variable intensity 5.5V LED cool illumination system with a built-in rechargeable battery and wall transformer for use or charging. It has turret-mounted achromatic objectives, fine and coarse rack-and-pinion focus and substage diaphragm light control, and a metal frame. It is built to international DIN standards and accepts all DIN eyepieces and objectives. With extras like focus stop for slide protection, adjustable tilt and (2) spring clips, it is a fine instrument for most home science work and projects in the field. If you are looking for more magnification purchase the spring loaded 100X (oil immersion) objective lenses. Brings your scopes total magnification up to 1000X magnification. Our (36) piece assorted specimen set comes on (12) slides. All are great additions.

A Sherlock Holmes-type magnifying glass is good, but this is better. It frees your hands and throws light on the subject! This 120-volt magnifying desk lamp has a heavy 7-3/8" x 5-1/2" x 2" base with a power switch, standard lamp cord, and 11" gooseneck ending in a 5-1/4" dia shade. Under the shade is a circular fluorescent bulb and a 3-3/8" dia lens with a flip-back cover. The box says the lens is 5X, we think it's closer to 2X. Either way, it's a major improvement if you need help to examine scientific specimens, to inspect stamps or jewelry, or just to read. And we won't even talk about how your nail care is going to improve after you see your cuticles under this thing!

Nothing to it if you have these 20 x 70 binoculars with rubber-coated housing for ruggedness, blue-coated optics, and a K9 prism for sharp images. Great for camping, wildlife viewing, more and large enough for you to enjoy viewing the night sky. Measure 11-1/4” long overall and come with folding eye-cups, right-eye diopter adjustment, a standard tripod mount between the optics, adjustable neck strap and a carrying case.

From Levenhuk®, this nice student microscope has an adjustable Barlow lens and objectives at 40, 100 and 400X. Has an adjustable iris and course focus. Comes  with a blow-molded storage case, (5) blank and (5) prepared slides; pipette; brine shrimp, yeast, sea salt and glue samples; forceps; a microtome; 58-page overview booklet; and 27-page manual. Has metal housing with glass optics, and a lifetime guarantee. Dual adjustable LED illuminator is powered by (3) included “AA” batteries or a 5VDC adapter.

You’re bound to be able to read through one of the lenses on this triple-lens hand-held magnifier. You pick. There’s a large, 5-1/4” acrylic lens at 1.5X with a 1” dia bifocal on the left at approx 2X and a doublet in the handle at approx 7X. (Ignore the surplus-inducing mis-marked lens powers; we tested ’em and the powers listed here are accurate.) Has (3) white LEDs under the main lens for your viewing pleasure and measures 10-3/4” long . The other is the same thing in a slightly smaller size, 8-3/4” long overall with a 3-3/8” x 1.5X main lens with a 1” dia bifocal on the left at approx 3X and a doublet in the handle at approx 7X. You add (3) “AAA” batteries for the LEDs.

A recipe from the Elizabethan Cable Food Network? No, just a couple of samples from our collection of (48) specimens preserved for your classroom examination, with (4) well-labeled specimens on each of (12) standard-size slides. You get animal, plant, insect, textile, and pollen and spore specimens, including camel hair, camellia leaf, plant louse, fruit fly, fern spore, bee wing, nylon, wool, lily pollen, bamboo shoot, goldfish scale, and three dozen more, including our homonymic favorite, hare hair. Grades three and up.

This 20-200X digital microscope from Celestron® has a built-in 5-megapixel digital camera that will take still photos and video of any scientist's discoveries. It's easy to use--perfect for looking at stamps, bugs, coins, rocks, circuit boards, plants and tons of other tiny things. Good for professionals but completely appropriate for curious kids, too. Has a manual trigger on the USB power cord, plus an 8-LED illuminator and a 6" adjustable stand on a 6-5/8" x 4-3/4" base. Comes with Celestron® Micro CapturePro software for Windows XP/Vista/7/8 and Mac OSX 10.6-10.7. USB 2.0.