In this time-lapse video of cell division in a newt lung cell, you can see a process that normally takes more than an hour occur in less than a minute. This newt cell has already started prophase, the first stage of mitosis. Chromosomes have condensed and become clearly visible, contained within the nuclear envelope. In the cytoplasm, the mitotic spindle begins to form during prophase. During prometaphase, the nuclear envelope breaks up. The chromosomes become even shorter and thicker. The microtubules of the mitotic spindle attach to the chromosomes and move them toward the equator of the cell. In metaphase, the chromosomes convene at the metaphase plate, an imaginary plane equidistant from the spindle poles. Anaphase begins when the paired centromeres of each chromosome separate and the sister chromatids-- now full-fledged chromosomes-- are moved to the poles. The poles of the cell are moved apart, stretching the cell. During telophase, two daughter nuclei form, and the chromosomes become less tightly coiled. Cytokinesis begins during telophase, resulting in two identical daughter cells. Credit: Conly L. Rieder, New York State Department of Health.