Which phase of mitosis is the shortest?

The anaphase takes only a few minutes to complete, making it the shortest of the five phases of mitosis. Despite the short duration, the phase consists of two parts known as anaphase A and B.

During the first part of anaphase, the sister chromatids split apart and start their journey to two opposite poles of the cell. The spindles are shortened at this point. During late anaphase, the chromatids reach the opposite poles, which then move farther apart from one another to ready the cell for the final stage of mitosis known as telephase. At this point, the cell contains eight chromosomes.