--- title: "Argh! This Optical Illusion Makes You Feel Like You’re Falling Into a Black Hole" description: "If staring at this image makes you feel like you're being swallowed by a black hole, you're not alone. According to a new paper published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, approximately 86 percent of people experience the same effect." date: "2022-06-02" modified: "2022-06-02" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/black-hole-optical-illusion" categories: - "Astrophysics" - "Black Holes" - "Brain" - "Health & Medicine" - "Neuroscience and Brain" - "Space" tags: - "brain" - "Cognition" - "eye sight" - "neuroscience" - "optical illusion" --- # Argh! This Optical Illusion Makes You Feel Like You’re Falling Into a Black Hole ![If staring at this image makes you feel like you're being swallowed by a black hole, you're not alone. According to a new paper published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, approximately 86 percent of people experience the same effect.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## F-F-Falling If staring at this image down below ([here's a big version]()) makes you feel like you're being swallowed by a black hole, you're not alone. According to a [new paper]() in the journal *Frontiers in Human Neuroscience,* approximately 86 percent of people are likely to experience the same sensation. Optical illusions are nothing new, but most of them trick us into thinking that a static image itself is transforming in some way when it isn't. What sets this fascinating piece of brain chaos apart is that it causes viewers to perceive that they, not the fixed image, are the ones moving. ![]() ## Top Pupil To figure out what was going on, the Norwegian and Japanese researchers behind the study [explained in a press release](), they presented 50 research subjects with a range of variations on the illusion. They found that for most subjects, their pupils seem to act somewhat like built-in dimmer switches, dilating and constricting according to the light in the environment. The images featuring the possibly-dread-inducing black holes were shown to cause sustained, unconscious dilation, which is what humans experience when actually walking into a tunnel or, well, plunging into an abyss. Thus, even though the participants weren't actually walking or falling into anything, their brains reacted as such. As for moving towards the light? The report noted that when viewing an image featuring a white or colored hole, most of the individuals' pupils did constrict some, however the effect was short-lived. Optical illusions are proof that perceptions don't always reflect reality. Hopefully the brain-duping conclusions found here will support future studies on how humans visually make sense of the world. And we promise, it's just a trick. You aren't really cascading into the void. Probably. **More illusions:** [*Optical Illusion Photo Shows Huge Tanker Hovering Over The Sea*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()