Under the microscope

Under the microscope returns to the History of Science Museum on Wednesday 21 October, and it's a weekly drop-in that runs every Wednesday through to 16 December. The premise is simple: you spend an afternoon looking through high-quality Victorian microscopes at everyday objects in breathtaking detail. It's a slow, curious way to spend a few hours, and because it's a drop-in, you can pop in for twenty minutes or stay for the whole session.

The museum is on Broad Street in the heart of Oxford, and it occupies the oldest public museum building in the world. It's currently running Our Vision24, a project aimed at making the museum fully accessible and inclusive. Its collections include the world's most comprehensive assembly of astronomical instruments from the Islamic world, which the museum regularly draws on to bring objects to life, alongside displays like Lyra's Worlds, inspired by Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials and the BBC series. This particular session is a bit different from the permanent displays, though—it's about the act of looking rather than the objects on the shelves.

On the day, you'll be joined by the museum's volunteers, who are there to help you get the most out of the equipment. The Victorian microscopes are the real draw here; they're high-quality instruments from a time when the microscope was a tool of discovery as much as a hobby. The things you'll be looking at are everyday objects, the kind of things you'd walk past without a second thought, but under the lens they open up into something entirely different. It's a chance to see the hidden textures and structures of the ordinary in a way you almost never do.

It runs from 2pm to 4pm every Wednesday from 21 October to 16 December, so you can pick the date that works for you. Entry is free, and the museum is at the Old Ashmolean Building, Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3AZ.