a microscope stage capable of always heating the entire culture vessel even when the culture vessel is moved in two - dimensional directions , and allowing an object lens and a condenser even in a high - power microscope to approach an object of observation such as a cell until they come into focus . a heating unit faces a well plate on a drive base even when the drive base is driven to any position in two - dimensional directions . therefore , all the cells a in the small compartments of the well plate are always heated . since the microscope stage is constituted such that a lower - side base houses an upper - side base and a fixed base in recessed portions , its thickness is considerably small . accordingly , an object lens and a condenser can approach close to the cells a . therefore , it is possible for high - power object lens and condenser to focus on the cells a .