The Troxler Effect Illusion

Check out this optical illusion. It will take a minute, but it will be worth it. Before we start, let's be clear that this is a circle of gray dots on a red field. The dots change color so that it appears a white dot and a light gray dot are racing around the circle.  

Follow the light grey spot around the circle for 30 seconds to 1 minute, and you will notice the other spot will eventually turn green.

If you stare at the cross in the middle for 30 seconds to 1 minute, the spots around the circle will disappear.

I took the time to do this, and it works! The dots turned teal green, but had varying intensities. In the second illusion, most of the dots disappeared for a bit, but never did they all disappear. I just can't hold my eyes still enough. This illusion is an example of Troxler's fading. There's another, similar illusion at the Wikipedia link. I haven't yet figured out why there is a white dot in this illusion. Read more about this effect and see three other illusions at Lensflare.  -via Boing Boing


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strangely for me, The green thing didn't happen. so I gave up and focused on the cross. The trailing dots turned to a tail rather than disappear altogether. I read the text of the article again and look up at the picture again. Green.
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Rogers is apparently the sticking point. Try doing this experiment again when he's gone on vacation? Speaking from experience angelic choirs are quite shy...
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Ya the "grey turning green" worked fine. When i did the crosshair thing, the background color changed afew times, and the dots kinda looked like they were trying to disappear alittle I guess. It's a neat illusion tho. Especially the green part that was vivid and interesting.
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staring at the cross, the colors fade and the dots following the white dot disappear. more of the following dots disappear as I become more meditative/spaced. as I approach total nirvana/catatonia, they overtake the gray dot but at no time do they all disappear even as the white light overtakes me and an angelic choir descends from the floor above (that would be Rogers apartment and seems unlikely). just sayin'
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