# Amazing visual illusion - Worth a look! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 30, 2006, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-visual-illusion-worth-a-look/382378 "2006-11-30T20:09:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2006, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-visual-illusion-worth-a-look/382378/1 "2006-11-30T20:09:23Z")
[Amazing Illusion!](http://www.patmedia.net/marklevinson/cool/cool_illusion.html) If your eyes follow the movement of the rotating pink dot, you will only see one color, pink. However if you stare at the black “+” in the center, the moving dot turns to green. Now, concentrate on the black “+” in the center of the picture. After a short period, all the pink dots will slowly disappear, and you will only see a green dot rotating. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2006, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-visual-illusion-worth-a-look/382378/2 "2006-11-30T20:13:21Z")
I get why the “absence of pink” goes green, but how do the pinky dots disappear? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2006, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-visual-illusion-worth-a-look/382378/3 "2006-11-30T20:23:46Z")
[QUOTE=jjimm] I get why the “absence of pink” goes green, but how do the pinky dots disappear? [/QUOTE] Rod fatigue? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2006, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-visual-illusion-worth-a-look/382378/4 "2006-11-30T21:19:13Z")
As I continue looking the pink dots come back, somewhat fainter. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2006, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-visual-illusion-worth-a-look/382378/5 "2006-11-30T22:56:33Z")
There are loads of optical illusions on [this page](http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/), including [this one](http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/col_lilacChaser/index.html), which is identical to the one in the OP. And all of the illusions include very complex explanations of just how your eye or brain is flummoxed to create the illusion. [This one](http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/mot_mib/index.html) is one of my favorites. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2006, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-visual-illusion-worth-a-look/382378/6 "2006-11-30T23:03:05Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] Rod fatigue? [/QUOTE] I had a girlfriend like that once. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2006, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-visual-illusion-worth-a-look/382378/7 "2006-11-30T23:59:55Z")
I like [this one.](http://www.eyetricks.com/jesus.htm) If you aren’t an Evangelical Fundamentalist Christian, you will be after this. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-visual-illusion-worth-a-look/382378/8 "2006-12-01T02:54:27Z")
[This has been a favorite of mine](http://www.johnsadowski.com/big_spanish_castle.php) for some time now. (There may be an ad you’ll have to click away. Sorry.) ---
**Author:** ![According\_to\_Pliny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@According\_to\_Pliny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/According_to_Pliny)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2006, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-visual-illusion-worth-a-look/382378/9 "2006-12-03T23:45:21Z")
This is fun stuff. I emailed a couple already to amaze and amuse my friends. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2006, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-visual-illusion-worth-a-look/382378/10 "2006-12-03T23:50:27Z")
[QUOTE=jjimm] I get why the “absence of pink” goes green, but how do the pinky dots disappear? [/QUOTE] I think I’ve worked it out: the green retinal after-image exactly cancels out the pink of the dot, rendering it gray - the same gray that the makers of the illusion have used for the effect to work. I think. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-visual-illusion-worth-a-look/382378/11 "2006-12-04T00:12:29Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] Rod fatigue? [/QUOTE] I’m with \*_tdn_, only it would be cone fatigue, right? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-visual-illusion-worth-a-look/382378/12 "2006-12-04T02:03:42Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] I like [this one.](http://www.eyetricks.com/jesus.htm) If you aren’t an Evangelical Fundamentalist Christian, you will be after this. [/QUOTE] [Cartman] I see a goddam hippie! [/Cartman] ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-visual-illusion-worth-a-look/382378/13 "2006-12-04T03:09:19Z")
[QUOTE=postcards] [This has been a favorite of mine](http://www.johnsadowski.com/big_spanish_castle.php) for some time now. (There may be an ad you’ll have to click away. Sorry.) [/QUOTE] This one was awesome. I thought it was a joke until I moved my eyes. ---
**Author:** ![whatsittoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@whatsittoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whatsittoya)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-visual-illusion-worth-a-look/382378/14 "2006-12-04T04:37:32Z")
[QUOTE=postcards] [This has been a favorite of mine](http://www.johnsadowski.com/big_spanish_castle.php) for some time now. (There may be an ad you’ll have to click away. Sorry.) [/QUOTE] That is very cool indeed. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-visual-illusion-worth-a-look/382378/15 "2006-12-04T05:46:56Z")
Great fun. Bookmarked. \*::: Now I’m dizzy . :: \* ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-visual-illusion-worth-a-look/382378/16 "2006-12-04T06:57:58Z")
If you really want to break your brain, try [this thing](http://www.cheswick.com/ches/me/), and example of the [McCollough Effect](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCollough_effect). It’s been a few years since I’ve tried it myself, but I recall the effects lasted at least 24 hours for me. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-visual-illusion-worth-a-look/382378/17 "2006-12-04T07:40:30Z")
[QUOTE=Nanoda] If you really want to break your brain, try [this thing](http://www.cheswick.com/ches/me/), and example of the [McCollough Effect](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCollough_effect). It’s been a few years since I’ve tried it myself, but I recall the effects lasted at least 24 hours for me. [/QUOTE] Hmm… nothing’s happening for me. ☹ There did seem to me to be a yellowish haze around the horizontal bars already, from the very beginning. Is that supposed to be there, or is my LCD monitor doing something funky maybe? -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-visual-illusion-worth-a-look/382378/18 "2006-12-04T12:12:28Z")
[QUOTE=astro] Now, concentrate on the black “+” in the center of the picture. After a short period, all the pink dots will slowly disappear, and you will only see a green dot rotating. [/QUOTE] That is neat. It only works if you keep your eyes really still though… I find the odd pink dot keeps reappearing. Sometimes it looks like the green dot leaves a trail of pink dots behind it as it rotates, which slowly fade. Aren’t our brains weird? ---
**Author:** ![whatsittoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@whatsittoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whatsittoya)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2006, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-visual-illusion-worth-a-look/382378/19 "2006-12-06T03:18:12Z")
[QUOTE=Frylock] Hmm… nothing’s happening for me. ☹ There did seem to me to be a yellowish haze around the horizontal bars already, from the very beginning. Is that supposed to be there, or is my LCD monitor doing something funky maybe? -FrL- [/QUOTE] I also see the yellowish haze. It appears on both my lcd and crt screens so thats not it it seems. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2006, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-visual-illusion-worth-a-look/382378/20 "2006-12-06T11:02:15Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] Rod fatigue? [/QUOTE] LEAD SINGER NAME! (not really a good band name) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-visual-illusion-worth-a-look/382378.md?page=2)