The tip of this atomic force microscope is only a “few atoms wide.”
A feature at NewScientist takes readers on a “joyride through the nanoscale” with ultra-magnified images of relatively exotic instruments like the atomic force microscope pictured above, to more pedestrian shots like grooves of a record.
As I’ve mentioned before, it’s difficult for humans to really fathom how small the nanoscale is, and what a colossal feat of engineering it is to create objects that small. Photos like these help put the nanoscale in perspective – no pun intended.