New visual illusion tricks your brain into seeing things that don’t exist – CNET [CNET]

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The study looked into how viewers perceived the illusion and how contrast, line width and other factors changed the intensity of the illusory light beams. “In particular, a large number of prominent intersection points leads to stronger and more vivid rays, as there are more cues to indicate the implied lines,” Wallisch said.  

Recursia created a version of the illusion with different colors behind it so you can see for yourself how lighter or darker backgrounds and various hues change your experience.

The Scintillating Starburst is a reminder of how our brains interpret imagery. Wallisch described this in a blog post as the brain “connecting the dots” to fill in missing information. “The starburst is not physically present,” Wallisch reminds us.

What’s so compelling about an illusion is that we know it’s not real, but we see it anyway. It’s magic for every day.