Anorthoscope facts for kids

An anorthoscope is a special device that creates a cool optical illusion. It takes a strange, stretched-out picture (called an anamorphic picture) on a disc and makes it look normal. This happens when the picture disc spins very fast behind another disc that also spins, but in the opposite direction. This second disc has four thin slits, or openings, that help create the magic.

This clever invention was created in 1829 by a scientist named Joseph Plateau. His work on the anorthoscope helped him understand how our eyes see things, which later led him to invent the phénakisticope in 1832. The phénakisticope was an early step towards what we now know as animation!

Some anorthoscopes had pictures on a black background. To make these work, the pictures had to be see-through, or translucent. The discs were often treated with oil on the back and then varnished to make them clear enough for light to pass through.

The Anorthoscope Today

Even though the anorthoscope is an old invention, scientists still study its effects. For example, a scientific paper about how it works was published in 2007.

These devices are quite rare today. In 2013, a complete anorthoscope set from 1836, made by a company called Susse, was sold at an auction for €44,000! There are only two other known sets like it. One is in the collection of Werner Nekes, and the other is part of the Joseph Plateau Collection at the Science Museum of Ghent University.

Images for kids

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  This image shows the stretched-out picture (A) and how it looks normal (B) when spun on the anorthoscope.

See also

In Spanish: Anortoscopio para niños