In the interphase, the cell increases in size and the chromosomes make identical copies of each other. The centrioles also make identical copies of each other. The chromosomes consist of strands of DNA and are found in the cell nucleus. The centrioles are barrel-shaped structures involved in ensuring mitosis can take place. The increase in size of the nucleus can be observed through a microscope.
In the prophase, the chromosomes condense as the strands of DNA they are made of shorten. The pair of centrioles migrate to opposite sides of the cell and a spindle network of fiber is created. The chromosomes can be seen through a microscope taking on their familiar "X" and "Y" shapes.
In the prometaphase, the envelope that surrounds the nucleus dissolves, and the various other membranes within the cell that give the cell its structure also dissolve. The nucleus can be observed through a microscope to disappear.
In the metaphase, the spindle fibers attach to the center of the chromosomes and the chromosomes align along the metaphase plate, which is a surface that runs through the middle of the cell.
In the anaphase, the spindle fibers created by the centrioles pull the two sets of chromosomes toward opposite poles of the cell. The poles themselves also start to move apart. This can be seen through a microscope, the chromosomes gradually moving away from each other and the cell gradually elongating.
In the telophase, a new nuclear envelope is created around each of the pairs of chromosomes and the chromosomes "unravel" from their "X" and "Y" shapes within the new nuclei. The spindle fibers dissolve. Cytokinesis takes place as the cell is gradually "pinched" into two separate cells. This can be seen on a microscope as the point at which the two cells become totally separate.