Photo of a single atom

[andrew_s]

(click through to the article, then click on the photo for a somewhat bigger version)

A very high resolution lens, to show a single atom 

[Kim]

 

Best pale blue dot since Voyager.   

[spesh]

It's impressive, but technically, that's not a photo of a single atom - it's a photo of the light emitted by the atom as its electrons shuttle between energy states under excitation by the laser. 

If you actually want to resolve individual molecules, or even atoms, you need a GBFO electron microscope:

http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2008/jul/16/electron-microscope-sees-single-hydrogen-atoms
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/8qxe7z/this-microscope-can-see-down-to-individual-atoms

[andrew_s]

You could equally say that a photo of a star is not actually a photo of the star, but a photo of the light emitted by the atoms of the star as they reradiate light absorbed from deeper within the star.

[T42]

Yebbut the atom is being stimulated externally; the star does it all on its own.

[Jaded]

Rule 34 strikes again.

[Kim]

Yebbut the atom is being stimulated externally; the star does it all on its own.

Pretty much all photographs are of light emitted by atoms stimulated externally...

[Tim Hall]

The Life Scientific this week features Richard Henderson explaining Cryo electron microscopy which allows viewing of atoms within biological molecules. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09r4c8f