60 times people’s minds tricked them into seeing something that wasn’t actually there

Our brains interpret what our eyes see.

Notice I said interpret? Because sometimes—especially when we’re looking at something out of context—our brain just provides us with the most sensible suggestion. It tells us this equals that, when this isn’t that at all.

Here are 50 remarkable instances where my—and likely yours too—brain confused this and that.

By the way. Nothing is on fire here. It’s simply the reflection of a spectacular sunset.

1. The wonders of space.

I’ve always found space to be fascinating. Planets and stars against a deep black background. Oh wait. Those aren’t planets. That’s the bottoms of old frying pans.

Christopher Jonassen
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Christopher Jonassen

2. A starry night sky.

What a beautiful photo. A reflection of millions of stars in the night sky. But wait. I see blue sky there too. That’s not stars, it’s gravel in a puddle.

3. A scene from Dante’s Inferno?

This looks like a frightening interpretation of the souls of the damned, being sucked into hell. Oh wait, it’s actually a lava pit.

4. Several possibilities.

I look at this and I see a boardroom, or perhaps a concert hall. Some think it looks like an expensive apartment. It’s actually the inside of a guitar.

5. Planet Earth.

Don’t you love those shots of the earth taken from the Space Station? Our little blue planet, third from the sun, sparkles like a jewel in space. Oh wait. This is actually frost on the roof of someone’s car.

6. Alien invasion.

Look at this UFO silently hovering above the tree line of a forest. I know there are a lot of people hoping to take a picture of a UFO, but it looks like it’s already been done. Oh wait. This is actually a car door.

7. Two in one.

It’s an anteater. But it’s a panda too. At least that’s what it looks like. But it’s not a panda at all. This anteater’s leg looks exactly like a panda.

8. We’re doomed.

Hopefully the creature on this planet isn’t hurtling towards Earth. Because that’s what it looks like, right? Thankfully, this is simply a crayfish in the bottom of a bucket.

9. Island vacation.

As winter and the snow that comes with it approaches, who of us isn’t thinking of a warm sunny island somewhere? Well, keep thinking. This is simply a mossy rock.

10. Colorful Caterpillar

Caterpillars are so fascinating. So fuzzy and colorful as they slowly creep along a branch. Oh wait. That’s not a caterpillar. That’s a bunch of birds all crowded together.

Jose Luis Rodriguez
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Jose Luis Rodriguez

11. The deep blue sea.

Until you notice that there is little chance of water being above the tree line, those do appear to be waves, don’t they? However, what you’re really looking at is dense fog.

12. A nebula?

This really does look like a deep space nebula, doesn’t it? As though someone on the Starship Enterprise took a picture and sent it back to earth. What this really is though is a fireworks display.

13. A work of art.

I used to watch my mother cross stitch and marveled at her patience with it. This looks like someone took the time to create a keepsake of their cats. Except it’s just two cats in their carrier.

14. It looks wrong, doesn’t it?

These posts are casting no shadows. If you know anything about digital rendering, it appears as though the creator of this image didn’t know what they were doing. However, what you’re looking at is a photo taken at noon, when the sun is directly overhead.

15. It’s a painting, right?

Wrong. This is an actual photo taken in a national park in Namibia, South Africa. And even knowing that it is a photograph, it’s very difficult to see it as that, isn’t it? All I see is a painting.

16. View from the balcony.

It’s odd, isn’t it? There are no cars on the street. And that’s because you’re not looking at a cityscape. What you’re actually looking at is a cemetery.

17. All aboard.

Okay. I’m sneaking this one in here. There’s a good chance you know that’s a rock and not a ship. But that rock really looks like a ship, doesn’t it?

18. Spooky

Look at that alien ship hovering out over the water on a stormy night. Have they come to take us away, or to drop somebody off? Relax. It’s a reflection of an inside light against the window.

19. Is that a tsunami?

That looks like a huge wave about to crash into the shore. Thankfully, it’s nowhere near as destructive. What you’re actually looking at is a cloud.

20. Close-up shot.

This really looks like an extreme close-up of concrete, doesn’t it? However, this photo was taken at great distance, and is actually a picture of New Delhi. Unbelievable, right?

21. Is that…?

I know there are people who actually believe in unicorns and fairies, but I’ve never been one of them. And yet I look at this and think I might be wrong. But I’m not. This is actually an old tree stump with grass and moss growing over it.

22. Beautiful picture.

It looks so lifelike. But the frame is old and broken, and the wall is stained and cracked. How is it that the painting has been preserved? It’s not a painting. It’s a window.

23. Fly away!

Why are those birds sitting so very close to the fire? It even looks as if the branch they are sitting on is on fire too. You’ll be pleased to know there are no birds. This is simply an old wooden pallet burning.

24. Heart of ice.

If you play Clash of Clans, this may look like the heart of Ice Golem to you. However, you can rest assured. All this is is a frozen rock, not a video game come to life.

25. Back up!

It really looks as if Godzilla is up ahead at that railroad crossing, doesn’t it? If that’s what it really was, I hope this driver would have put the car in reverse and got the heck out of there. No worries though. It’s just a photo of a lizard on the driver’s windshield.

26. Let’s take a walk.

Lots of people like to go hiking in the fall. The weather is often nice in the foliage is beautiful. However, I don’t recommend walking on this pathway, since it’s not a pathway. It’s actually a stream full of leaves.

27. Wall art.

That’s some extremely lifelike taxidermy. Or is it? Because it looks like a dog’s head on that wall, right? In reality, it’s a dog sitting on the floor looking up into the camera.

28. Bakery on wheels.

Look at the racks of baked goods in the back of that SUV. And nothing is covered. How sanitary can that be? Oh, wait. It’s simply a reflection of the inside of the shop.

29. Need. More. Power.

Surely this is a scene from a sci-fi movie. With one of those buildings sucking power from the other. At least that’s what it looks like, until you realize it’s just the light catching a cloud in the background.

30. Don’t get too close!

Look at how close he is to the mouth of that giant sea monster. And he doesn’t seem afraid at all. Oh, it’s because it isn’t a sea monster, it’s the bow of the sunken ship.

31. Look closely.

See the lights on in the house? If it was daylight, as it appears to be, you wouldn’t see the lights in the house, correct? That’s because this is actually taken in the middle of the night at the exact moment of a lightning strike.

32. Someone call the police!

How long has that creepy old woman been standing there watching through the fence? And what is she watching? Oh, wait, that’s not an old woman. It’s just a log.

33. Looks about right.

Okay, there’s probably not too much confusion about what this really is. Although it does look like there’s a stream of water from some giant hose in the sky that is feeding Yosemite Falls. But we all know better, right?

34. Don’t change the channel.

Why would anybody hang a TV on this wall? It doesn’t look all that sturdy, and it looks as though it leaks. So how safe could this be? Actually, that’s a window in an empty barn.

35. The birds.

Did you ever see that old Hitchcock movie called The Birds? It was actually quite scary, and this reminds me of a flock of crazed birds. In reality, it simply ice on a windshield.

Yum

I love Boston cream donuts. The nice chocolate glaze and the creamy filling. However, I find mushrooms to be repulsive. And this is not a chocolate donut, it is a mushroom.

37. We need an archaeologist!

Doesn’t this look like some amazing find that someone has dug up out of the ground? The claw of the dinosaur or some other ancient creature? Unfortunately, this isn’t anything other than the root of the horseradish.

38. Last year’s beach vacation.

Doesn’t this look like an aerial shot of a lovely beach? The blue ocean giving way to a sandy beach. Hold on to that imagery, because this is nothing more than the picture of a puddle.

39. A gargantuan goose.

Do you have geese where you live? I do. And they leave a whole lot of crap behind. I can only imagine what a goose this big would leave behind. Fortunately, that’s a normal size goose. It just looks huge because of the angle from which the photo was taken.

40. Build a civilization.

You know those video games where you have to build a civilization, and often times they are full of cookie-cutter homes or buildings? At first glance, you would think this is what you’re looking at. However, this is a real neighborhood in Mexico.

National Geographic
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National Geographic

41. I hope he makes it.

Eventually, I think he’s going to have to swim out to that vessel in the distance. If that’s where he’s going. Because that’s a soldier carrying a gun in the water, right? Actually, that’s a piece of lint on a windowsill.

42. Sandwich, anyone?

I was a fussy eater when I was a kid. I wouldn’t eat the crust of bread, so my mom cut them off and made little triangle sandwiches for me. That’s what this is, right? Wrong. This is actually a rock.

43. What happened to the dessert?

Don’t you hate it when the kids poke their fingers into desserts? This looks like fingerprints in tiramisu. Actually, it’s footsteps in the desert.

44. Nessie? Is that you?

The mystery of the Loch Ness monster is well known, and many have searched for it. And while this may look as if someone has finally got a good picture of it, you’ve probably guessed this is just a log.

45. More fires are burning.

Every time we turn around, it seems as if there’s another wildfire burning somewhere. And it looks as if these buildings will soon be engulfed in flames. However, this fire is nothing more than a fiery sunset against the clouds.

46. A blanket of snow.

This looks like an aerial shot taken over a forest in winter. All of those trees just obliterated by snow. In reality, this is nothing more than frost on the roof of a car.

47. Salmon balls?

That really looks like salmon meat doesn’t it? However, salmon rarely comes in a ball wrapped in a yellow, pocked cover. If the yellow outer cover didn’t give this away, this is actually a golf ball.

48. What?

Pineapples grow on trees, correct? Pineapples aren’t actually a tree, as far as I know. However, these certainly look like giant pineapple trees. Perhaps that’s SpongeBob’s house.

49. Will it hatch?

This looks like some sort of mythical egg, doesn’t it? And a fair sized one, at that. However, it’s actually an avocado pit that was left in the sun and ended up getting scorched.

50. How do you kill a dragon?

It appears that somebody was able to slay this dragon. Apparently, they were able to decapitate it, because this certainly looks like a dragon’s skull. And yet, it’s merely a tree stump.

51. No smoking.

This looks like the biggest cigarette ever in the history of cigarettes. Can you imagine carrying around a pack of those? Thankfully, this is nothing more than a pylon in the ground.

52. Space is a mystery.

We really don’t know what’s floating around in outer space, do we? And we certainly didn’t think jellyfish floated anywhere other than the water. And we would be right, because while this looks like it’s floating in space, it’s not.

53. I wonder where it goes?

Is it a window or portal? That’s what it looks like, and if that’s what it is, it would be fascinating to know what’s on the other side. Unfortunately, it’s nothing more than a puddle reflecting sunlight.

54. What is that sphere?

It certainly looks like a planet, doesn’t it? However, no planet that we are familiar with. Actually, it’s not a planet at all. This is the result of someone taking a picture of the ocean . While using their phone and a pair of binoculars.

55. Invasion.

Imagine stepping out of your home and seeing that. I’m sure that, like me, the first thing that would come to your mind is UFO. And that you would also breathe a big sigh of relief when you realized it was nothing more than a cloud.

56. What the…?

If I saw that growing up out of my garden, I would move. And I would have nightmares for months. Apparently, this is a mushroom but I have my doubts.

57. Apocalypse.

Just business as usual in the foreground, but disaster appears to be looming in the background. And while this looks like something we might see at the theater. We know that’s the sun against the clouds.

Creepy

There are few things happening here. Reflection and dirt. The reflection of the tree and what appears to be dead people hanging from it. Thankfully, that’s just a weird pattern in the dirt.

59. Creatures of the deep.

I’m not a fan of seafood, but I love bacon. I’m not so sure how I would feel about looking at a strip of my bacon and seeing seahorse. What about you?

60. Hmm!

Who doesn’t love ice cream sandwiches? But what’s the biggest size you could eat? Twin? Double? Queen? King? You guessed it. This is actually a mattress.

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