This came to my attention via Kisrael.com. I know what some of you might be saying, I said the same thing when I first saw it. "How the heck does this classify itself as an optical illusion? For that answer you'll have to read the full article.
This is very much like the Ferris Wheel optical illusion I posted previously, depending on how you look at her she will either be spinning clockwise or counter-clockwise. You don't believe that it is possible for your mind to see this image rotating any way but the way you see it now, do you?
One of the reasons that this is possible is that it is a silhouette and the very nature of a silhouette is ambiguous.
Try looking at the reflection and see if she reverses direction. I shift my focus to the side and can tell in my peripheral vision that she has changed direction, I then move my eyes back on the silhouette and walla she is rotating in the other direction.
What is even more amazing is that if you see her spinning clockwise then it is her right leg and arm that is up in the air, but if you see her spinning counter-clockwise then it is her left leg and arm that are up in the air.
My initial view of this illusion is that she is rotating counter-clockwise, but once I manage to see her spinning the opposite way it is hard to switch back. Which way does she appear to spin to you? Can you see her spin in either direction?
7 comments:
Amazing illusion! I didn't think it was possible to get her to spin the other way (she started off as clockwise to me), but the shadow really is the key to getting her to spin the other way.
Great find!
That's heaps cool. It reminds me of those strings of lights you see sometimes at resteraunts that flick on and off and you can watch them running one way or the other if you focus. One thing I did find intriguing though was that I could only see her change directions when her leg was out straight as it went. Also, I'm most alarmed to notice that once I found her upraised arm and leg going one way and the rest go the other way! I didn't have time to work out which way, but it was really freaky!
man, she is really spinning in opposite direction and i'm not looking in shadow, just look in the center of figure and she'll soon change direction :D
amazing!
wow the shadow IS the key to making her change direction when you stare under the figure for a while she appears to be only moving her leg back and forth and not spinning a full 360 at all!
She started off turning cw to me, then shift ccw when I saw the reflection. However, the harder I try to *control* which way I see her turn, the less control I actually seem to have over changing what it is I see! Absolutely fascinating!
I Hate to burst your bubble but the silhouette starting spinning in one direction then 1 minute into it changes and goes the other way.
nice effect.
The Gif is composed of 34 frames comprising one complete revolution. There is no changing of direction at any time. Grab a graphics program and check it out for yourself.
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