Patent ID: 7382531

Claim:
A microscope comprising: a high humidity space that is maintained at a predetermined gas temperature and a predetermined relative humidity for culture of a living sample; a first heater that maintains the high humidity space at the predetermined gas temperature; a first temperature sensor that detects a temperature of the living sample; an objective lens which includes a tip portion with a top lens that is disposed in the high humidity space, and which enables observation of the living sample incubated inside the high humidity space; a second heater that heats the objective lens; a second temperature sensor that detects a temperature of the tip portion of the objective lens; and a temperature controller that controls the first heater and the second heater so that the temperature of the tip portion of the objective lens is higher than a dew-point temperature and lower than a thermal death point of the living sample, based on information detected by the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor.