interphase
the period of cell growth when the cell synthesizes new molecules and organelles. the cell is not dividing and it constitutes the majority of the time spent in the cell cycle
prophase
changes occur in the nucleus and cytoplasm. the chromatin condenses to form structures (sister chromatids) visible with a light microscope and the mitotic spindle begins to form, but the nucleus is still in tact
prometaphase
the nuclear envelope fragments and the spindle microtubules attach to the kinetochores of the sister chromatids
metaphase
all the cell's duplicated chromosomes are lined up at an imaginary plane equidistant between the poles of the mitotic spindle
anaphase
begins when sister chromatids separate from each other and ending when a complete set of daughter chromosomes arrives at each of the two poles of the cell
telophase
the daughter nuclei form at the two poles of a cell
cytokinesis
the division of a cytoplasm to form two separate daughter cells. usually occurs during telophase during mitosis. this and mitosis make up to mitotic (m) phase of the cell cycle
