STELLATE OBJECTS FOR THE
MICROSCOPE
by Brian Darnton & Wim van
Egmond
Asterionella
Asterionella. This elegant diatom is often present in huge quantities, where water is somewhat enriched. Their sheer numbers can add to stagnation in shallow lakes. The yellow brown stellate colonies are an incredibly beautiful sight and are far better seen freshly collected than cleaned in the manner of diatoms. They are not easy to photograph since they are very small and not entirely flat. Because of the shallow depth of field, with strong magnification (40X objective) it is almost impossible to get every detail in focus. This one was photographed just before it was crushed by the coverslip.