The Same Color Illusion

Astronomy Picture of the Day · 2012-10-07 · NASA (public domain)

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The Same Color Illusion — APOD for 2012-10-07

Are square A and B the same color? They are! To verify this, either run your cursor over the image or click here to see them connected. The above illusion , called the same color illusion , illustrates that purely human observations in science may be ambiguous or inaccurate. Even such a seemingly direct perception as relative color. Similar illusions exist on the sky , such as the size of the Moon near the horizon , or the apparent shapes of astronomical objects . The advent of automated, reproducible, measuring devices such as CCDs have made science in general and astronomy in particular less prone to, but not free of, human-biased illusions .

Astronomy Picture of the Day for 2012-10-07 — image & explanation courtesy of NASA (public domain), mirrored at Tukuk-OS for reading and search convenience.

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