Sometimes all you need is a camera, a little imagination, and the right camera angle to capture something that is both deceptive and interesting.  The person who took this photograph was able to make it appears as if a very large crane was lifting the moon into the night sky.  In doing so, it almost looks like a construction site operated by Mother Nature herself.

Do you ever wonder why the moon sometimes looks like it is bigger than normal when you look up at night.  This phenomenon is referred to as the Moon Illusion and can be fully explained by following the link and watching the short video.

Today is the official release date for a new 224-page hardcover volume of optical illusion art titled The Art of Deception:  Illusions to Challenge the Eye and the Mind.  This book, from Brad Honeycutt, features a foreword by John Langdon and an epilogue by Scott Kim.  It is a companion volume to The Art of the Illusion published by Imagine Publishing in 2012.  Artists whose work is appears in this volume include Rob Gonsalves, Guido Moretti, Bev Doolittle, Istvan Orosz, Oscar Reutersvard, and Kurt Wenner, among others.  The cover features a beautifully deceptive painting from Vladimir Kush aptly titled Butterfly Apple.

You can pick up a copy of this book at Amazon or your favorite retailer.  A French-language version of the book is also available and can be purchased at Amazon France.

The sphere that is placed closest to you looks to be about half the size as the sphere in the background.  Surprisingly, both spheres are exactly the same size.  If you don’t believe it, grab a ruler and measure them both to confirm.

For a similar effect, be sure to revisit the SUV Illusion where three sports utility vehicles parked on the same street appear to be different sizes despite being identical.

Can you find the hidden star cruiser in this colorful pattern?  Stare at this stereogram, created by Gary W. Priester, and the spaceship will slowly reveal itself.  If you are having trouble seeing the hidden image, please read through the stereogram viewing tips.

(via eyeTricks 3D Stereograms)

Measuring 900 square meters (approximately 9,700 square feet), this anamorphic chalk art on a field in Utrecht, Holland has the appearance of being three-dimensional.  The artist, Leon Keer, used environmental friendly (and harmless) chalk for this ephemeral piece of land art.  Most of the time, you see this type of art on pavement, so seeing it on grass or in the sand is a welcome sight.

(via Leon Keer)

We featured several of Liu Bolin’s camouflaged body photographs on An Optical Illusion a couple of years ago.  If you are new to the site or happened to have missed those, then feel free to check them out here.  The photograph below features Liu Bolin doing what he does best – hiding in plain sight with the help of a clever paint job that matches his background.  This time, he stands painted in front of a very organized display of shotguns, rifles, and automatic weapons.  It is probably pretty safe to assume that this is a political statement regarding guns.  It was taken in 2013 as part of his Hiding in New York series.

For more information about Liu, or to see more of his work, please visit Klein Sun Gallery.

This music video produced for the song “Sweater”, performed by the Belgian band Willow, is pretty interesting.  The lone guy featured in the video spends the entire time in a white room.  By projecting scenes and animation onto the walls and floor of the room, it appears that he is walking down stairs, walking around outside, riding a subway, riding an escalator, and much more.  Watch the full video below.

In addition to both directing and producing this video, Filip Sterckx also handled all of the 3D animation and editing. I personally think that the first half of the video is much stronger than the second half and would be curious to know what you think.  Which scene do you think is the most or least realistic?