This colorized transmission electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2—also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19—isolated from a patient in the U.S. Virus particles are shown emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab. The protruding <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/capsid" class="extiw" title="en:capsid">capsid</a> structures (so-called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spike_protein" class="extiw" title="en:Spike protein">Spike protein</a>) of the virus give these viruses their name, corona being the Latin term for crown
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Institute_of_Allergy_and_Infectious_Diseases" class="extiw" title="en:National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases">NIAID</a>-<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Mountain_Laboratories" class="extiw" title="en:Rocky Mountain Laboratories">RML</a> (<a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="https://www.niaid.nih.gov/">https://www.niaid.nih.gov/</a> &amp; <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="https://www.niaid.nih.gov/about/rocky-mountain-laboratories">https://www.niaid.nih.gov/about/rocky-mountain-laboratories</a>)
CC BY 2.0
<a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/niaid/49534865371/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/niaid/49534865371/</a> (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flikr" class="extiw" title="en:Flikr">flikr</a>)