<p>Disclosed are a microscope and an observation method both enabling improvement of spatial resolution. The microscope relating to one aspect of the invention is provided with a laser light source (10), an objective (16) for focusing the laser beam from the laser light source on a sample, and a detector (22) for detecting the laser beam as a signal light from the sample (17) when the laser beam is shone to the sample (17). The laser beam is shone to the sample while varying the intensity of the laser beam so that the intensity of the laser beam is in a nonlinear region in which the relation between the intensities of the laser beam and the signal light is nonlinear because of saturation or a nonlinear increase of the signal light occurring when the intensity of the laser beam is a maximum value. The signal light corresponding to the intensity of the laser beam is detected by the detector (22). Thus, observation is performed on the basis of the saturation component or the nonlinear increase component of the signal light.</p>
