Mitosis is the division of a single cell into two daughter cells (cell division).
Mitosis consists of two major events: karyokinesis, or nucleus duplication, and cytokinesis, or cytoplasm division.
This is followed by the detachment of the daughter cells. Karyokinesis is thus classified into four steps: prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.
Prophase – Throughout prophase, chromosomes (chromatids) become visible, centrioles able to relocate to the poles, the nuclear membrane and nucleolus fade away, and spindle configuration occurs. This stage in mitosis is the longest of any mitosis phase since the cell must prepare for the real division that occurs from early to late prophase.
Metaphase: During metaphase, chromosomes align all-around center (Cells in metaphase have the chromosomes, which appear as long thin strands under the microscope).
Anaphase is the process by which chromatids detach and move to opposite poles via spindle fibers. This enables each daughter cell to have an identical copy of each chromosome of the original cell.
Telophase – Throughout this phase, chromosomes vanish (become chromatin), the nuclear membrane reforms, nucleoli reappear, the spindle vanishes, and centrioles duplicate