Optical illusions

thumb|upright=1.5|Various kinds of mirages in one location taken over the course of six minutes, not shown in chronological order. A mirage is a naturally occurring optical phenomenon in which light rays bend via refraction to produce a displaced image of distant objects or the sky. The word comes to English via the French (se) mirer, from the Latin mirari, meaning "to look at, to wonder at".

visual perception that differs from objective reality

legendary ghost ship

thumb|330px|Triptych of the The Elevation of the Cross (Rubens)|Raising of the Cross, Rubens, 1610–11, Antwerp Cathedral A triptych ( ) is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided into three sections, or three carved panels that are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all multi-panel works. The middle panel is typically the largest and flanked by two smaller related works, although there are triptychs of equal-sized panels. The form can also be used for pendant jewelry.

thumb|Satellite photograph of a mesa in the Cydonia region of Mars, often called the "[[Face on Mars" and cited as evidence of extraterrestrial habitation]]Pareidolia (; ) is the tendency for perception to impose a meaningful interpretation on a nebulous stimulus, usually visual, so that one detects an object, pattern, or meaning where there is none. Pareidolia is a specific but common type of apophenia (the tendency to perceive meaningful connections between unrelated things or ideas).

upright=1.3|thumb|Ceiling of the Treasure Room of the National Archaeological Museum of Ferrara |Archaeological Museum of Ferrara, [[Italy, painted in 1503–1506]]

thumb|upright=1.35|Example of mirror anamorphosis

thumb|Animated GIF of ''Prof. Stampfer's Stroboscopische Scheibe No. X (Trentsensky & Vieweg 1833) thumb|A family viewing animations in a mirror through the slits of stroboscopic discs (detail of an illustration by E. Schule on the box label for Magic Disk - Disques Magiques'', )

form of art

thumb|300px|Old Zeiss (company)|Zeiss pocket stereoscope with original test image right|thumb|A common Underwood & Underwood Stereoscope

impossible object

two-dimensional figure representing a projection of a three-dimensional object that cannot exist

painting by Hans Holbein the Younger

thumb|A replica of a Victorian zoetrope

thumb|upright|Diagram of a Corinthian order|Corinthian column showing a visible entasis bulge at "D"

thumb|By using two parabolic cylindric mirrors and one plane mirror, the image of the background is directed around an object, making the object itself invisible - at least from two sides.

optical illusion which causes the Moon to appear larger near the horizon than it does higher up in the sky

late 19th-early 20th century belief of canals existing on Mars

optical illusion used in mathematics

optical illusion of perceiving continuous motion between separate objects viewed rapidly in succession

magnified shadow of an observer cast upon clouds opposite the Sun's direction

distorted room that creates an optical illusion

A thaumatrope is an optical toy that was introduced in 1825. When the strings attached to the small illustrated disk are twirled quickly between the fingers, the depicted elements on either side of the disk appear to blend into one image. It was explained as the result of visual impressions lingering in the mind for about one-eighth of a second after the image has been removed.

simple wire-frame drawing of a cube that can be perceived ambiguously with respect to the cube's orientation

thumb|If a viewer stares at the white dot in the center of this image for 5–60 seconds and then looks at a plain white surface, a negative afterimage will appear, showing a person's face in a more natural color scheme. This can also be achieved by the viewer closing their eyes.

optical illusion

thumb|300px|A random dot autostereogram encoding a 3D scene of a shark, which can be seen with proper viewing technique. (10px)

Egyptian carvings misinterpreted as depicting helicopters

optical illusion published by Edward H. Adelson

viral phenomenon regarding the colour of a dress

optical illusion technique

geometrical-optical illusion

painted representation of a location to create the illusion of an environment that is not present at the filming location

optical illusion

illusion technique

visual phenomenon

optical illusion

optical illusion

optical illusion

Optical illusion

optical illusion

optical illusion

impossible object or optical illusion

optical illusion

optical illusion image which exploits graphical similarities between two or more distinct image forms

optical illusion

Macropsia is a neurological condition affecting human visual perception, in which objects within an affected section of the visual field appear larger than normal, causing the person to feel smaller than they actually are. Macropsia, along with its opposite condition, micropsia, can be categorized under dysmetropsia. Macropsia is related to other conditions dealing with visual perception, such as aniseikonia and Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (AIWS, also known as Todd's syndrome). Macropsia has a wide range of causes, from prescription and illicit drugs, to migraines and (rarely) complex partial

optical illusion

a visual illusion depicting an apparently impossible three-dimensional framework, invented by M.C. Escher

optical illusion

optical illusion affecting visual perception

optical illusion developed by Edgar Rubin

error in the perception or representation of any visual or aural information

geometrical-optical illusion

parallel mirrors, creating reflections that appear to recede to infinity

illusion of movement where two or more still images are combined by the brain into surmised motion

optical illusion

optical illusion that a color may appear different depending on its relation to adjacent colors

visual illusion

optical illusion