Abstract: Provided are an observation apparatus and an observation method that allow a state change of an observation target to be observed after image-acquisition is started. An observation apparatus 1 is employed which includes an optical microscope observation unit 20 that acquires images of a sample A, a cell-state determination section 43 that determines a state change of the sample A by comparing a plurality of the images acquired at time intervals by the optical microscope observation unit 20, an area extraction section 44 that extracts an area in which a state change is detected by the cell-state determination section 43, and a scanning microscope observation unit 30 that acquires an image of the area extracted by the area extraction section 44 at higher resolution than that acquired by the optical microscope observation unit 20.