Optical illusions are like magicians. They make you question everything your eyes tell you. They’re not just pictures—they’re more like windows into how our brains process information. Get ready for these ten mind-boggling optical illusions to blow your mind. By the time you’re done with this list, you’ll be scratching your head and marveling at the power of your own mind.

Related: Top 10 Simple Things That Mess With The Mind

10 The Vanishing Dots

Imagine a grid of evenly spaced dots on a black background. Simple, right? But when you stare at this grid, something incredible happens – the dots seem to vanish into thin air! It’s like they’re playing a game of hide and seek with your brain.

This optical illusion, the Hermann Grid, occurs because of how your eyes and brain work together. Your eyes have cells that detect contrast. When you focus on one dot, the surrounding dots’ contrast decreases, making them disappear. Your brain is essentially trying to fill in the gaps, and that’s when the magic happens.

What’s truly fascinating about the Hermann Grid illusion is that scientists use it to study visual processing in our brains. Researchers have found that certain cells in the visual cortex, called end-stopped cells, play a crucial role in creating this illusion. These cells are responsible for detecting the edges and boundaries of objects. When you focus on a dot in the grid, these end-stopped cells become activated. They ultimately enhance the illusion of vanishing dots. So it’s not just a simple disappearing act. It’s a glimpse into the intricate workings of our visual system.

9 The Rotating Snakes

Have you ever wished you could witness the snakes dancing without the fear of being bitten? This optical illusion won’t give you a front-row seat to a reptilian tango. But it will make you believe you’re watching snakes slither and twist right before your eyes.

Known as the rotating snake, this mind-boggling image consists of seemingly rotating snakes on a static background. But here’s the kicker—the snakes aren’t actually moving at all! It’s all in your head.

The rotating snake illusion is a prime example of how patterns and contrasts can fool our brains. It’s not just about the snakes. This illusion can appear in various forms, like wheels appearing to spin backward or stationary objects seeming to move. Scientists believe this illusion occurs because our brains are hardwired to detect motion. When they encounter patterns that mimic motion, they fill in the gaps, creating the illusion of movement.

8 The Impossible Triangle

Imagine an object that seems to defy the laws of geometry. That’s what you get with the impossible triangle. Also known as the Penrose Triangle or Tri-bar, this optical illusion presents a three-dimensional triangular figure. It looks like it could never exist in the real world. Each segment appears to connect seamlessly, forming a never-ending loop.

The Penrose Triangle, created by the mathematician Roger Penrose, is a masterpiece of optical art. It continues to intrigue mathematicians and artists alike. What’s remarkable is that this object can be drawn on a flat surface, and it looks plausible when viewed from a specific angle. However, when you try to construct it in three dimensions, you hit a brick wall—it defies the laws of physics.

7 The Ames Room

Welcome to the world of the Ames Room. This mind-bending optical illusion is a specially constructed room that messes with your sense of perspective. When looking into the Ames Room through a peephole, it appears to be a perfectly normal, rectangular space. But when people walk inside, they magically change size, growing or shrinking depending on their position within the room.

The Ames Room is actually cleverly designed with distorted angles and proportions. It fools your brain into perceiving a three-dimensional space that doesn’t exist. The Ames Room is not just a party trick. It has real applications in film and entertainment.

Filmmakers have used this optical illusion to create scenes where characters appear to change size. Remember those scenes in The Lord of the Rings when Gandalf and Frodo looked like they were vastly different sizes? That’s the magic of the Ames Room at work.

6 The Floating Cube Illusion

Imagine a cube that seems to levitate in mid-air, hovering mysteriously before your eyes. This optical illusion challenges your depth perception and your sense of reality. When you look at the cube, it appears to pop out from the background or even rotate without any logical explanation.

Want the truth? The cube is a two-dimensional image cleverly designed to create the illusion of depth and movement. Your brain fills in the missing pieces, making it appear as though the cube is defying the laws of physics.

The floating cube illusion is really all about perspective and shading. The clever use of light and shadow creates the perception of a three-dimensional object where none exists. Artists and designers have used similar techniques to create stunning 3D artworks on flat surfaces, giving the illusion of depth and dimension.

5 The Café Wall Illusion

Have you ever wondered how a simple pattern of black and white tiles could make you question your sense of lines and angles? That’s the magic of the café wall illusion.

Imagine a wall adorned with alternating rows of black and white tiles. At first glance, the lines forming the rows appear slanted. However, when you measure them carefully, you’ll find they are perfectly straight. This optical illusion is an example of how our brains interpret patterns and contrast. It makes us see things that aren’t really there.

The café wall illusion, first discovered in the 1970s, is a striking example of the Gestalt principles of visual perception. It tricks our brains by using contrasting colors and patterns that create the illusion of slanted lines. The horizontal lines are interrupted by alternating rows of black and white squares, which create the misperception of slanting lines. This illusion reminds us that our minds seek patterns and relationships in the visual world. Sometimes leading us to see things that aren’t there.

4 The Ambiguous Cylinder Illusion

Cylinders are pretty straightforward, right? Not when they’re in the world of optical illusions! The ambiguous cylinder illusion challenges your perception by presenting cylinders that look like a mix of squares and circles.

When you view these shapes from different angles, your brain can’t decide whether they’re round or square. In reality, the shapes are cylindrical. But your brain’s interpretation creates the illusion of a shape-shifting object that leaves you questioning the nature of reality. The ambiguous cylinder illusion was first created by Kokichi Sugihara, a Japanese mathematician and artist. Through it, we see the power of perspective and how our brains interpret visual cues.

3 The Blivet

Imagine a bizarre, three-pronged object that seems to defy logic and geometry. This optical illusion, known as the Blivet, presents an impossible object. It has three cylindrical prongs when viewed from one angle but only two when viewed from another. It’s as though the object is constantly morphing and changing shape right before your eyes.

The Blivet is a prime example of how optical illusions can challenge our understanding of the physical world, leaving us in awe of the power of perception. The Blivet, also known as the impossible fork, was first popularized by the artist M.C. Escher.

This illusion plays with our perception of depth and perspective. The Blivet reminds us that our brains constantly interpret visual cues to create a coherent picture of the world. Still, those cues can sometimes lead us to perceive the impossible as possible.

2 The Hollow Face Illusion

What if I told you that a concave object could appear convex? That’s what happens in the hollow face illusion.

Imagine a mask with a hollowed-out, concave face. When you look at it, the face protrudes outward like a regular convex face. Your brain interprets the face based on familiar expectations, assuming it’s convex even though it’s not. This illusion demonstrates how our brain’s prior knowledge and expectations can override what our eyes see.

This leads to a mind-bending experience. The hollow face illusion is a striking example of how our brains use context and prior knowledge to make sense of the world. This phenomenon is not limited to faces; it can also occur with other objects.

1 The Spinning Dancer

Last but not least, we have the Spinning Dancer, a mesmerizing optical illusion that challenges your perception of motion. At first glance, you might see a silhouette of a dancer spinning either clockwise or counterclockwise. Some people see her spinning one way, while others see the opposite. This illusion is a reminder of how our brains interpret visual cues differently. It gives us a taste of the complex inner workings of our visual system.

The Spinning Dancer illusion is often used to illustrate the concept of multistable perception. This means that our brains can perceive the same visual stimulus in multiple ways, and we can switch between these perceptions based on our focus and attention.

When you look at the dancer, your brain processes the image in a way that makes her appear to spin in one direction. But with a shift in your attention, you can make her reverse direction. This phenomenon highlights how our brains constantly interpret and reinterpret the visual world around us.

Optical illusions often go viral on the internet. Is the dress beige or blue? Are the shoes turquoise or pink? These types of illusions are mostly attributed to how a person perceives color. Some illusions, however, depend on just the right conditions to freak people out.

Here are 10 optical illusions that are sure to mess with your head (and you don’t have to blame the alcohol this time!).

Related: Top 10 Unbelievable Types Of Illusions And Hallucinations

10 The Size of the Moon

Have you noticed how the moon grows smaller as it rises? It actually doesn’t. That’s just your average, run-of-the-mill optical illusion. The moon is exactly the same size on the horizon as it is when it’s high up in the night sky. Hard to believe, right? It is said that you can prove this by taking a photo of the moon in both stages and then comparing the outcome.

But what about those photographs of the moon that make it look huge? That is simply a zoomed-in view. What isn’t an illusion, though, is the yellowish, orangey hue the moon has when it’s near the horizon. This happens because the light from the moon travels a longer distance through the atmosphere, scattering away the shorter blue wavelengths and leaving more of the longer and redder lengths.^[1]

9 Go Home, Carpet. You’re Drunk!

Ege Carpets took their TBBT obsession to the next level by designing a space-time continuum carpet that would impress even Sheldon Cooper.

A Twitter user noticed the carpet in a store, and after he posted a picture of it, it was retweeted nearly 100,000 times in one day. The rug seems to dip in certain places, which would definitely make it difficult to navigate over, especially if you’re on the other side of tipsy. And yet, the “potholes” are just a trick of the mind as the carpet is just as level as any other.

If you need something a little quirky for your own home, you could invest in a 3D Bottomless Hole Optical Illusion Area Rug. You’ll always feel like you’re about to fall headfirst into a portal. but it will probably never stop being the center of conversation at your house parties.^[2]

8 An Unseen World

Sometimes nature can be really weird. Scientists doing research in the depths of the Pacific Ocean in 2019 found something oddly magical 2,000 meters (6,561 feet) beneath the surface.

With the use of a remotely operated vehicle, lead scientist Mandy Joye and her team were exploring a hydrothermal vent in the Guyamas depression when they saw the underside of a rock overhang that was so perfectly level that the sea life before it appeared in a perfect reflection. When the ROV’s angle shifted, the “vision” shattered, and a vast space opened up that glittered like diamonds.

The illusion was caused by the hot water seeping from the vent, which rises when it mixes with the colder ocean water. As it rises, it comes into contact with the rock formation and becomes trapped, filling the overhang. The temperature difference between the hot water and cool seawater causes light to slow, creating the mirror-like illusion.

As for the shiny minerals, the scientists didn’t know exactly what they were looking at but we’re almost certain that it would have been pyrite.^[3]

7 Look, Ma, the Giraffe’s Eating the Plane!

The entries for the Comedy Wildlife Photos contest in 2017 delivered quite a few hilarious snapshots.

It also delivered a funny optical illusion of a giraffe that appears to be eating or at least taking a peek into one of the windows of a small aircraft. The angle of the photograph, taken in Masai Mara, Kenya, is perfect, and it has been a source of entertainment on the internet ever since.

Another mindboggling illusion featuring an animal is the well-known photograph of a cat on a staircase, going either up or down depending on whom you ask. Is it possible that it’s Schrodinger’s Cat, and it’s going up and down at the same time?^[4]

6 UFO or Fata Morgana?

So, if you could choose, would you want the illusion you’re seeing to turn out to be the real deal or just a variation of the Fata Morgana phenomenon?

In 2021, a UFO appeared over the ocean in Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park. Well, the illusion of a UFO, at least. It was soon determined that it was merely a Fata Morgana mirage that occurred because air of different densities met, leading the Earth’s atmosphere to act as a refracting lens, which in turn created the illusion.

This is also what leads to “ghost ship” or “floating ship” sightings. Fata Morgana has even been suggested as a possible reason for the myriad of Flying Dutchman sightings throughout history.^[5]

5 Floating Ghost Ships

Speaking of floating ships, there have been quite a few eerie sightings around the world. One of the most notable images of a floating ship was snapped in the UK in 2021. David Morris was enjoying a day out on the beach when he saw a massive tanker in the distance, seemingly hovering in the air above the ocean. The photo he took of the ship seemed to show blue sky above and below the ship, where it eventually met the sea.

Morris agreed with the Fata Morgana explanation and said he didn’t believe anything supernatural had occurred, even though it most certainly looked like the ship was floating in the air. Two weeks after Morris’s sighting, another mirage was sighted off the Dorset coast when the cruise ship, the Jewel of the Seas, appeared to be floating in the grey sky.^[6]

4 Is That a Painting?

Near the famous Sossusvlei salt pan lies the Deadvlei white clay pan in the Namib-Naukluft Park in Namibia. The camel thorn trees that still stand in Deadvlei died around 700 years ago and are black because of the intense sun burning down on them every day. At an ordinary angle, Deadvlei looks like just another desert backdrop.

However, shot at a low angle while the sunshine glides over the sand dunes in the distance, the trees and their surroundings become the optical illusion of a surrealist painting. The difference between the angles is quite disconcerting, and comparing the two photographs will have you believing that it’s not even the same landscape.^[7]

3 Stairway to Heaven

In 2016 a statue, designed by South African artist Strijdom Van Der Merwe, was unveiled in the Western Cape province. The statue, which is the shape of a stairway and made from mild steel tubing, was created for the Hermanus Fine Arts Festival and is currently housed at Creation Farm in the Hemel and Aarde Valley.

The stairway makes for a mind-bending optical illusion when viewed from the right angle, as it looks exactly like drawn stairs reaching up to heaven. The statue attracted worldwide attention, and a version of it went on display in Taiwan in 2021.^[8]

2 Three Suns

If you’re not a fan of hot weather, the thought of three suns beaming down on you will likely make you run for the hills…or Antarctica.

Fortunately, if you ever do see three suns in the sky, know that you’re either very drunk or seeing the sundog phenomenon. In Northern Russia, truck drivers and early birds were treated to this spectacular sight in 2019. It is believed that sundogs are caused by ice crystals refracting light into the sky. The three suns made for great photographs, and many people took the opportunity to spice up their Instagram pages.

Russia is apparently also the place to be if you want to experience the light pillars optical illusion. These pillars sometimes resemble the beam from a UFO but appear when artificial light reflects off millions of floating ice crystals.^[9]

1 Negative to Color

The negative lady illusion is a somewhat creepy-looking photo negative of a woman that is turned into a color image for a split second if you stare at it long enough. In this instance, the negative image of the woman comes with a tiny dot on her nose that you have to stare at for 15 seconds. Then, when you glance at the blank space next to her, you will see her briefly pop up in color.

The illusion works because what you see is a negative afterimage, which means the color you see is inverted from the original image. The same thing happens when you stare at a red image, followed by seeing a green afterimage.^[10]