2021’s Top Illusion Is A ‘Phantom Queen’ That Sees You But You Can’t See Her

Taking the throne of this year’s best optical illusions is The Phantom Queen, and she’s as spooky as she sounds.

Each year, the Neural Correlate Society (NCS) looks at some of the most creative, novel illusions and picks its favorite 10, with the help of an international panel of judges comprising scientists. The top choice claims the title of Best Illusion of the Year.

The winning creation, dreamed up by Matt Pritchard from the UK, features a hand-drawn chess board facing a mirror. The reflection shows all the chess pieces in the foreground, plus an additional one—there’s the White Queen in the mirror, but she’s not visible on the board.

So, what gives? This illusion is an example of “anamorphic perspective,” which uses a fake flat surface to hide the queen. When you look at the board from another angle, you’ll discover the checkered box in the middle, which creates an “invisibility cloak” to mask the phantom character. Mischief managed.

The runner-up is The Changing Room Illusion by Michael A. Cohen, which depicts a room that evolves so slowly, the viewer doesn’t realize that objects have been moved or replaced.

And, for good measure, here’s one called Crocs & Socks. The potentially controversial visual puzzle by Pascal Wallisch and Michael Karlovich rekindles ‘The Dress’ illusion, where colors don’t always appear as they seem.

The pros of studying optical illusions aren’t immediately clear, but the NCS details that understanding them sheds light on important ways the brain and eyes work, which could help treat ophthalmic and neurological conditions.

[via Popular Mechanics, cover photo 1306243 © Paul Maguire | Dreamstime.com]