# Has anyone seen this particular optical illusion? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 16, 2003, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-this-particular-optical-illusion/195653 "2003-08-16T22:39:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-this-particular-optical-illusion/195653/1 "2003-08-16T22:39:03Z")
It was a photograph of of some japanese or chinese packaging that was green white and black, containing several spiral like objects that appeared to move. Does anyone know what I am talking about and/or know where I can find that picture? ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Joe\_Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Random)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-this-particular-optical-illusion/195653/2 "2003-08-16T22:58:29Z")
Is [this](http://www.tv69.com/xt/hams.jpg) it? ---
**Author:** ![Improvisor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/50afbb/32.png) [@Improvisor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Improvisor)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-this-particular-optical-illusion/195653/3 "2003-08-16T23:08:23Z")
That is freaky. ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-this-particular-optical-illusion/195653/4 "2003-08-16T23:34:50Z")
Sort of. That is definetly the design, but it was a higher quality picture, closer up and without hamsters. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-this-particular-optical-illusion/195653/5 "2003-08-16T23:38:26Z")
I have seen OIs like that before. Here’s an experiment - take somethig red, and something blue (a red folder and a blue folder if possible) move them both past your vision at high speed. one will appear to move at a different speed than the other. I am guessing this illusion takes advantage of that effect (or the differing wavelengths og different colours) ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-this-particular-optical-illusion/195653/6 "2003-08-16T23:50:44Z")
If you can manage to keep your eyeballs very still, the illusion will not appear to move. It is the combination of the eye movement and the colour effect I mentioned above. the colours at one end of the spectrum are taking longer to get to our eyes than those at the other, so a movement effect is created. ---
**Author:** ![bbeaty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c0e974/32.png) [@bbeaty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbeaty)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-this-particular-optical-illusion/195653/7 "2003-08-16T23:59:24Z")
Here’s a [whole raft of 'em](http://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/~akitaoka/index-e.html) Also try [the di-zonal spacewarper](http://dogfeathers.com/java/spirals.html) The little black dots in [Hermanns Illusion](http://home.wanadoo.nl/hans.kuiper/optical5.htm) are pretty disturbing… ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Joe\_Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Random)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-seen-this-particular-optical-illusion/195653/8 "2003-08-17T00:28:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Muad’Dib \* > \*\*Sort of. That is definetly the design, but it was a higher quality picture, closer up and without hamsters. \*\* I think that [this](http://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/~akitaoka/uzumakie.html) might be what you’re looking for (credit to **bbeaty** for providing a link to the site).