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50 Times Reflections Were So Confusing, They Messed With These People’s Heads (New Pics)
What you see in the mirror is your reflection with which you’re most likely very familiar. So there’s little surprise there. But there are many other things that bounce back at you, or off of surfaces—think of light waves, sound waves, even your thoughts.
In fact, the word “reflection” derives from the Latin reflectere, made up of the prefix re-, "back," and flectere, "to bend." So in very simple terms, it’s bending something back, sometimes accurately (if it’s a smooth surface like a mirror) and sometimes very distortedly (if it’s a water pond).
So today we’re taking you on an adventure into the wondrous world of reflections, both random and elaborate, funny and breathtaking. Scroll down through the list compiled by Bored Panda below, upvote your favorite mind (or rather, light) benders and be sure to check out our previous post with more head-messing reflections here.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
This Mural Was Purposely Painted Upside Down To Reflect Off Of The Water
RELATED:
#2
Reflection Of Trees In A Drop Of Water
#3
Long Exposure Photograph I Captured Of Yesterdayâs Spacex Launch And Its Reflection Along The Shoreline Of The Atlantic Ocean
To find out more about the wondrous world of reflections, we spoke with Steven Wooding, a physicist and a member of The Institute Of Physics, UK. Steven is also a member of the Omni Calculator Project which is an international community of scientists and researchers with a goal to make science more accessible and entertaining for everyone.
First, we wanted to know how exactly reflections work and Steven was happy to explain: “Every object you see reflects light from a light source into your eyes. Most of the time, the light is scattered in all directions, and the object has a matte look. If the object's surface is smooth enough, it will reflect light all in the same direction into your eye and form an image.”
“For example, you can't see the sky's reflection on a rough sea, but if it's calm enough, you get an image formed of the sky in the water,” the physicist added.
#4
The Reflections On These Pots Lined Up Just Right
#5
Every Morning The Sun Hits My Mom's Urn And Reflects On The Wall In This Pretty Design
#6
This Reflection Of A Lamp On My Sunglasses
When asked if humans can manipulate the reflections, Steven said that they indeed can. “Magicians can play many tricks using reflections when we don't expect them. For example, a ghost can be made to appear on stage, but actually, it's a pane of glass partially reflecting an actor in a concealed part of the stage.” Moreover, “technologies such as radar and lidar send light towards an object and collect the reflections to determine where they are, how fast they are going, and even their three-dimensional shape.”
It turns out that the smoother the surface, the better the reflection will be. “Any imperfections on the surface will be echoed in the reflected image. With surfaces like water that can move, these flaws can change over time and give pleasing effects. The color of the reflecting surface is also important and acts like applying a filter to the image.”
#7
This Reflection On My Water Bottle Looks Like The Northern Lights
#8
Capybara Looks Like Itâs Wearing Clothes Due To Reflection
#9
This Spectrum Reflected Off The Dining Room Window Through A Chair Back
#10
My Blinds Reflection Looks Like Lunar Phases On My Wall
#11
The Reflection From My Window Decal Makes My Toilet Look Like A Quest Item In A Video Game
#12
Sunset Reflection Looks Like A Demonic Uprising
#13
My Wife Looked Out Of Our Living Room Window And Saw This. TV Screen Reflection Lined Up Perfectly With Her Car
#14
The Sun Shining Through My Fish Tank Aligned Perfectly On Each Knob
#15
The Water Reflecting Off Our Old Trampoline Makes It Look Invisible
Or also it could be a portal to another dimension.
#16
Sat On A Bench Outside An Office And Noticed My Reflection In The Window Perfectly Fit In The Chair
#17
Thought This Was A Desktop Background But Itâs Just A Reflection Of Our Couch
#18
Reflection Of Ceiling Lights In My Coffee
#19
The Steering Wheel Reflection Looks Like A Planet In The Sky
#20
Sun's Reflection On My Drinking Glass Creates Bart Simpsonâs Skull
#22
Reflection On An Iron
#23
The Reflection Of My Make-Up Bag Looks Like A Nebula
#24
Blue Sky Reflecting On Neighboring Building With Storm Behind It
#25
The Reflection Of The Beer Made The Fire On My Christmas Card Look Alive
#26
Every Time I Think That This Building Is Burning, But It Is A Reflection Of The Sunset
#27
The Reflections Of Ceiling Lights Appear To Be Alien Ships Descending On Shreveport
T. D. Bostick 3 years ago
They landed at Shreveport, took one look around, and left, never to return.
#28
The Reflection Of These Sticks Make Interesting Shapes
#29
The Reflection In The Mirror On This Hotel Check In Desk
#30
Reflection Of The Sun Hitting My Guitarsâ Tuners This Morning
#31
Mirage Of Coffee Shop Window Makes It Look Like This Car Sells Pies Out Of The Boot
#32
Girlfriend Took This Awesome Photo Today While We Went Hot Air Ballooning For My Bday. Reflection Of Our Balloon Of A Creek We Flew Over
#33
Reflection Of Tunnel In Mirrored Sunglasses
Deutschland MĂ€dchen 3 years ago
Would you say she has... Tunnel Vision..? I'll go now... but I couldnât resist
#34
Tomâs Reflection Reflecting His Inner Wolf
#35
This Puddle Reflecting The Sun Looks Like A Portal To Space
#36
I Took A Picture Of A Monkey And The Glare Made It Look Like It Was Taking A Wicked Selfie
#37
The Reflection Of The Reeds In The Canal Spell Ok
Antoilene du Toit 3 years ago
Sitting depressed next to a stream: "Please send me a sign that everything is going to be OK"
#38
Reflection Of Bathroom Mirror Makes It Look Like We Have An Outdoor Cinema Going On
#39
The Reflection Of My TV Makes It Look Like Girl With The Pearl Earring Is In My Backyard
#40
The Gap In My Bedroom Window Became A Pinhole Camera
#41
The Reflection Of The Light On My Coffee Looks Like A Glowing Castle
#42
The Mirror Reflection In My Car After A Wash
#43
Making Cookies And The Reflection Looks Like A Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie
#44
The Sun Reflecting Off The One World Trade Center This Morning
#45
The Sun's Reflection Off My Watch Looks Like Saturn
#46
The Reflection From My TV Looks Like The Moon Is Hovering Over My Swimming Pool
#47
This Window Filters Out The Exact Wavelength Of Light That My Gloves Reflect
#48
Weird Reflection Makes Man Look Like A Ghost
#49
How My Face Is Not Reflected In This Mirror, But Is In The Mirrorâs Reflection Of Itself
#50
Reflection On Window Looks Like Massive Spaceship Landing
#51
Glass Reflection Makes It Look Like There Are People In The Sky Of Tokyo
#52
This Spider's Reflection In A Pool
#53
Saved This Adorable Baby Opossum From My Dog. Look At That Face
#54
This Unaltered Photo Of The Reflection In My Cat's Eyes
Brian Bennett 3 years ago
Watch out the critter sees you for what you really are your cover is blown!
#55
Image Reflected From Double Glazing Window Is Aligned With A Real Image Of Sun And Clouds Behind The Pillar
#56
I Canât See The Actual Drop Of Water On My Countertop, But I See Its Reflection On The Side Of My Coffee Maker
#57
The Reflection In My Trumpet Creates A Tiny Planet Effect
#58
Spilled A Drink And It Reflected Perfectly
#59
The Reflection Of The Blinds Makes My Glass Look Jagged
#60
Reflecting From Window. Rainbow Cat
#61
This Morning Reflection From My Front Door
#62
This Sign Was Designed To Be Read In The Reflection Of The Water
#63
This Plates Light Reflection Looks Like A UFO
#64
The Narrow Open Space Between My Blinds Is Creating A Camera Obscura Effect That Is Reflecting The Colors That Are Outside
#65
The Ring Mirror In My Hotel Bathroom Reflects Differently Off My Glasses Since Each Eye Has Its Own Prescription
#66
The Surprisingly High-Quality Reflection Of Michael Scott In My Boyfriend's Watch
#67
A Piece Of Sky Fell On The Road
#68
The Sun's Reflection Looks Like A Double Helix
#69
I Stood In The Reflection Of The Backyard Glass Window Opposite My Thongs And It Looks Like My Ghost Is Wearing Them
#70
The Reflection Of This Stained Glass Seems To Spell "Dead"
#71
Reflection Of Window On My Dumpling Soup
#72
The Reflection From My Oven Looks Like A Happy Robot
#73
Maltese Reflection
#75
This Reflection Looks Like Howard Stern
#76
The Light Reflected Off These Candle Holders Look Like Flames
#77
The Reflection Of This Building Makes It Look As If It's In The Sky
#78
My Reflection On The Mirror Looks As If It Was A Regular Picture On The Wall
#79
The Reflection Gave My Cat Human Feet
#80
My Cats Tag Reflection
#81
Hmmm
#82
Blursed Reflection
#83
Sunlight Reflecting Through Lengths Of Aluminium
#84
Rental Car In Ireland Has Dashboard Sticker That Reflects In The Windshield To Remind You What Side Of The Road To Drive On
Brian Bennett 3 years ago
Great Idea but with my sense of direction nope don't think I'd drive!
#85
Reflection Of A Poster In The Stuttgart Airport Makes The Woman Look Cross-Eyed
#86
Black Vultures Picture Taken Through A Window That Reflects A Stained Glass Window
#87
The Reflection Ends The Building
#88
The Crack In The Door Splits My Grow Light Into Different Colors
#89
Caught The Reflection Of The Light In The Window, Looks Like It's Floating In The Sky
#90
Our Restaurant's Lights Reflected Off Their Window Looks Like The Aliens Have Arrived
#91
The Reflection Makes It Look Like This Lady Is Wearing A Thong
#92
The Reflection On This Bucket Makes It Look Transparent
#93
The Reflection From The Ironing Board In My Hotel Room Looks Like A Transformer
#94
Not Much Of A Guard Dog, Though! But Lost It When I Came Across The Second Pic
T. D. Bostick 3 years ago
That's either a TV reflected in the window, or Bloody Mary is paying a visit.
#95
The Camera Focused On The Reflection Of The Tree Instead Of The Watch
#96
The Colorful Reflections From Peopleâs Shirts On My Airplane
#97
My Plates Create An Illuminati Sign When Reflected By Light
#98
Reflections In The Window Look Like A Glitch In A Skybox
#99
The Clouds Reflected Off This Building Look Pixelated
#100
Two Carts I Found In My Local Swamp Awhile Back. The Reflections Were Weird
#101
The Reflection Off This Can
#102
This Ceiling Light Reflection On My Camera Lens
#103
This Reflection Of The Sky On A Building Looks Like The Sky
#104
How This Reflection Of Light Only Got Past With The Red
#105
Umbrella Reflection In Spoon
Mama Panda 3 years ago
That spoon would have gone flying across the room! Arachnophobe here (if you didn't already know lol)
#106
The Color And Reflective Properties Of The Key Make It Blend In With The Doorknob
#107
Sunlight Was Dispersed And Reflected By The Building Facing Mine, Then Passed Through My Blinds And Ended Up On My Floor
#108
Today I Saw A Reflection Of A Vehicle That Completes The One Next To It
#109
The Reflection Of The Lights In The Room Behind Me Make It Look Like The Sky Has A Trap Door
#110
Took A Pic Of The Sunrise Out My Office Window And The Interior Lights Made Some Cool Reflections
#111
I Can See The Reflection Of My Phone If I Take A Close-Up Of My Eye
#112
The Reflections In This Building Make It Look Like A Bad Render
#113
Reflection Makes It Look Like The Knife Is Transparent
#114
Reflection From My Car Window Onto My Phone Looks Like The Stock Apple Wallpaper
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What do you think ?
Bob Stuart 3 years ago
I saw an awful lot of inaccurate descriptions, often of refractions or projections.
Bob Stuart 3 years ago
I saw an awful lot of inaccurate descriptions, often of refractions or projections.
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