10 best optical illusions of 2019

As part of the annual Best Illusion of the Year competition, selected the best optical illusions the outgoing year. They are all capable of easily cheat our perception by forcing to see several different actions or objects at the same time. Here are three first places and 7 finalists.

1. Double axis illusion

This unusual shape defies logic by rotating on a horizontal and vertical axis at the same time.

2. Color change illusion

This illusion changes the colors of the dots depending on which direction of movement you see. If the points move down, then they should be green and red, and if to the right, then yellow.

3. The illusion of spinning circles

Here, a small black circle revolves around a central point. However, the added movement of the surrounding circles causes the perceived movement of the central circle to appear "stretched" and distorted.

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Fingers and mirror illusion

This illusion gives rise to a strange feeling at the sight of fingers detached from our body. You can see them with a mirror, looking at a certain angle, as shown in the video. The brain begins to perceive them as something foreign, as extraneous living objects.

Bird facing right

Even if we turn this bird 180 degrees around the vertical axis, it will not look in the other direction - it is always facing to the right. It's all about its shape.

Rotating spirals

If the left eye is covered with a dark filter, then the spirals should rotate clockwise, and if the right one, then counterclockwise. If you squint without filters or use a defocusing lens, the spirals begin to rotate in different directions.

3D graffiti

Another demonstration of changing the geometry of the figure depending on the viewing angle. For a second, it seems as if this figure is rotating in three-dimensional space.

Tic-tac-toe

In this illusion, you should pay attention to a 3 × 3 grid, the adjacent cells of which have a background of different brightness. We can only notice this if there is a clear border between the zones, but with a contrasting lattice on top, this is problematic. The point is that the visual mechanism in our eye enhances the contrast of the object's contour against its background.

Ambiguous arrows

A rotating table, notched cardboard tubes and a mirror - this creates a funny illusion of rotating arrows that always point in the same direction.

The illusion of the storm

In this illusion, the painting "Ships in the Stormy Sea" by the Dutch artist Ludolf Bakhuisen comes alive when you add a little shimmer to it. It sets in motion sea waves and clouds, creating the effect of a real storm.