Up Close With The Enemy: The Coronavirus In Stunning Detail

A cluster of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) virions -- entire virus particles -- viewed through an electron microscope.

The new coronavirus was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019 and has killed more than 36,000 people worldwide as of March 30.
 

SARS-CoV-2 virions emerging from a human cell.

All photos in this gallery were colorized using either feature-detection software or Photoshop.
 
 
 

SARS-CoV-2 virions dotting the surface of a human cell.
 
Coronaviruses are a family of pathogens that include the deadly SARS and MERS, as well as several other relatively harmless varieties of virus.
 

A SARS-CoV-2 virion
 
Coronaviruses are named for the appearance of a halo or crown when viewed under a microscope. "Corona" is the Latin word for crown or halo.

A computer animation of the new coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19.

The appearance of a crown comes from the spikes that poke from the surface of the virus.

An electron-microscope image of a cluster of SARS-CoV-2 virions
 
Coronavirus virions use the spikes on their surface as a kind of key that binds with receptors in some human cells -- especially in the lungs -- that allow the virus to enter the cell.
 

Once inside the cell, the virus releases genetic material that effectively tricks the host cell into replicating the invading virus thousands of times. A swarm of new virions eventually burst through the cell wall and move on to infect other cells. That moment is pictured here in a cell from an American COVID-19 patient.

Each coronavirus virion is around 120 nanometers in diameter, meaning about 750 of them could fit across the width of a human hair.

Detail of a human cell heavily infected by SARS-CoV-2
 
Once expelled from a patient's body, the virus is believed to survive for up to several days on some surfaces.
 

SARS-CoV-2 virions emerge from a human cell after replicating.
 
Despite their apparent longevity, the virions can be destroyed with warm, soapy water, which breaks apart their fatty membrane.

SARS-CoV-2 virions in a human cell
 
Medical experts advise regular handwashing and not touching one's face as two of the most important things a person can do to reduce the risk of contracting the virus.