11 Real Places That Look Like Optical Illusions
You’ll need to take a second, or third, look at these natural landmarks that appear to be something they’re not.
Atlantic Road
This scenic road in Norway looks like it just drops off into the sky. The bridge really just curves down, but when captured from the right angle it looks like a potentially dangerous optical illusion. To mess with your eyes even more, check out these optical illusions that will make your brain hurt.
Flat Tolbachik and Ostry volcanoes
No, that’s not Photoshop. These strange-looking clouds are actually real and they’re called lenticular clouds. These UFO-looking clouds form when moist air flows over a mountain creating standing waves on the mountains downwind side. If the temperature at the crest of the waves drops to the dew point, the moisture in the air condenses and forms lenticular clouds. You’ve probably never heard about these 15 natural wonders around the world.
Magnetic Hill
This optical illusion is a little hard to understand in a picture. Magnetic Hill is a gravity hill near Leh in Ladakh, India. Because of its surroundings, it appears to slope upward, but it actually slopes downward. There is also another theory that there is a strong magnetic force emanating from the hill that pulls vehicles towards it when they drive on the road. Thus, even though they are driving “uphill” they don’t need to use the gas.
Mauritius Island
It looks as though there is a waterfall underneath the Indian ocean off of this island, but that’s not the case. This optical illusion is actually just sand being pushed off of an underwater shelf called Mascarene Plateau. These are the most colorful natural wonders on Earth.
Rakotzbrücke Devil’s Bridge
This bridge was built in Germany in 1860. It was built in a perfect half-circle so that when the light hits it in just the right place, the bridge appears to be a never-ending circle.
Namib-Naukluft National Park
This natural optical illusion looks like a painting. These dead camelthorn trees remain standing due to the dry climate. When you capture the contrast between the claypan’s white floor, the dark trees, and the sun reflecting off of the sand dunes in the back it almost doesn’t look like a part of nature. Did you know about these secret features hidden in America’s landmarks?
Lake Sørvágsvatn
This lake on the Faroe Islands in between Iceland and Norway appears as though it sits hundreds of feet above the ocean. In reality, the lake only sits about 90 feet above the sea and has a waterfall at the end that goes into the ocean but when capture from the right angle it looks magnificent. These are the most overlooked landmarks in America.
