Patent ID: 6927903

Claim:
A microscope for observing a fluorescent specimen having a plurality of fluorophores comprising: an epifluorescent microscope having optics and an optical pathway; a source of excitation light; a high speed wheel driven by a wheel controller, the wheel having a center axis bisecting a predetermined reflection angle within an epifluorescent optical pathway of the microscope optics and being mounted for rotation about the center axis; a plurality of dichroic beamsplitters mounted to the wheel; and a computer control, the wheel controller being responsive to the computer control, wherein the computer control is programed to command the high speed wheel to rotate different ones of the plurality of dichroic beamsplitters into the fluorescent optical pathway thereby positioning each of a selected plurality of the dichroic beamsplitters in the optical pathway to image each of a selected plurality of particular fluorophores in the specimen.